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The following is a Work in Progress. INDEX ASTARTES - SIN EATERS Battle Brothers of the 3rd Company ID & HIGH GOTHIC: 0293 - COMEDENTIS PECCATI, "SIN EATERS" GENELINE: IX LEGION - GENE-DRIFT MINORIS FOUNDING: 2nd (CLAIMED), 3rd (SUSPECTED) DESIGNATION: PARTIAL CODEX COMPLIANT HERALDRY: SLATE & CRIMSON, GOUTE De SANG ON SILVER PALE CHAPTER FIEF: DUMAH, UPON THE STAR-FORT VINDICE STELLA MOTTO: AD VITAM AETERNAM, "TO ETERNAL LIFE" INTRODUCTION & PRE-HISTORY No man, bar the Emperor Himself, is beloved by all, not even a Primarch. All of the Astartes Legions, at least all for whom records remain contained those who chaffed at the changes made when they were reunited with their gene-fathers. Terran born, or traditionalist warriors who found the learned practices of their Primarch's adopted homes and cultures. Sub-legions and recon elements who missed the initial, ecstatic reunion, and never saw these larger-than-life figures in the flesh. Holdouts from an older, fouler war than the Crusade itself. The IX Legion were known, for a time, as The Revenant Legion. Eaters of the dead. Beautiful killers. Inheritors of names. These men who would in time become the Blood Angels left much behind when they were transformed by the Angel Sanguinius, when their hungers were tempered by a godling's grace. It was, for most, a revelation. Redemption. A chance to cast of a monstrous identity for something more noble. Or, to others, a false mask to hide their shame. A casting-aside of effective, sound battlefield practice that had marked them out amongst their cousins in the other Legions. A denial of their Emperor-given, transhuman edge. In other Legions such warriors often found themselves among the Traitors - or dead amongst the ashes of Isstvan III - or fighting all comers as Blackshields, but those of the IX who would eventually form the core of the Sin Eaters were loyal, to the Imperium if not their Primarch. Forced to deny their hunger, and a growing sense that they had been denied something more, they nevertheless fought throughout the Heresy, to the very walls of the Imperial Palace on Terra, and beyond. Only with the butchering of the Angel were they freed, and in the fires of the Scouring did they reformed themselves, reclaiming practices long-since forbidden. Like many quasi-independent Legion elements they were chosen to form new Chapters during the Second - Some records suggest Third, though the Chapter itself claims Second - Founding, Revenants beneath a new flag, Eaters of the Dead once more. Eaters of Sin. Brother Sergeant of the 3rd Company, a Lesser Immortal CHAPTER HOMEWORLD & FORTRESS MONASTERY Dumah is a cool, and shadowed world, thickly forested and mountainous, where it is not swallowed by vast and crushing glaciers. The human population, techno-feudal throwbacks abandoned in the distant past live in stone keeps that rise above the forested valleys and frosted peaks, kept warm by ancient generators deep within their bowels, sacred and ill-understood. War, of a sort, is constant. Warbands and raiders hunt each other between the trees, or engage in ritual battles in the few open clearings, killing each other of generational grudges, and stores to survive the long, harsh winter years. It is from this hardy stock that the Sin Eaters draw the largest single source of their recruits. Their Monastery, The Vindice Stella, sits in low orbit, a red star that passes above the peaks of Dumah, and has done for some 9,000 years. The ancient Star-Fort, left adrift in depths of space was captured by the Chapter in their earliest days, and placed above their chosen fief. Some 30% of their aspirants are drawn from Dumah, the rest from suitable human stock encountered on campaign. The Induction Sarcophagi utilized by most of the Blood Angels gene-line are capable of turning the twisted mutants of Baal into beautiful, strong astartes, and such technologies are put to good use by the Sin Eaters to allow for rapid recruitment while on the move, the various Company Fleets and Strikeforces more-or-less self sufficient, returning to Dumah to take part in Chapter-wide rituals and the sharing of heroic remains. Reclusiarch Hanuman, Chaplain of the Immortals CHAPTER ORGANISATION & CODEX COMPLIANCE Like many of their fellow Blood Angel successors, the Sin Eaters act largely within the tenants of the Codex Astartes, at least as it applies to battlefield strategies. Squad-level organisation and equipment, accepted skirmish-to-campaign strategic practices, all to be found somewhere within The Avenging Son's updated Codex, at least for the most part. Outside of the battlefield, however, divergence is found. The Sin Eaters do not keep a 10th Company. Instead, each battle-line Company is expected to raise and maintain their own initiates, and field scouts as required. This means that each Company often exceeds the usual size as dictated by the Codex, and the Chapter as a whole often doing the same. This is not without precedent amongst more mobile chapters, the needs of a specific long-term campaign leading Companies to swell their numbers when support from elsewhere is unavailable. If the Chapter, during a rare meeting of the Companies finds that it has grown too far beyond the 1,000 Marines stipulated in the Codex Astartes, a period of lessened recruitment is begun, and attrition allowed to return them to something closer to the limits placed on an Astartes Chapter. It has been some time since the last such meeting of the Companies. Ordo Astartes estimates place the Sector-wide count of Sin Eaters marines between 1,200 and 1,400 warriors, though their involvement in the ongoing 4th Tyranic war is expected to reduce those numbers dramatically. Leadership of the Chapter falls to the Immortals of the First Company, those Marines who have moved beyond death, becoming repeating patterns within the genetic memory of the Chapter, reborn in new flesh after the eating of the old. The Immortals, the True Immortals, form the First Company, and from there are assigned leadership and guidance of the Battle Line Companies, alongside fellow elites to act as bodyguards or force multipliers, forming a core of Crusade Fleets and Strikeforces. 'Lesser' Immortals, those not elevated to the First Company due to having not proven their stability to the Chapter Reclusium often lead squads within the Battle Line Companies, marked out by golden helms and personal heraldry not worn by those on their first, and likely only, lives. Immortals of the Blade IMMORTALITY & THE LAST REVENANTS The Omophagea - an organ common to all Astartes - is hyper-active among the sons of Sanguinius. The extent of this mutation has varied, over the millennia, though all from that line feel it to some extent. The urge for flesh. For blood. To the Blood Angels themselves this is a mark of shame, and curse to be warded against, but to their earliest ancestors among the IX Legion it was a gift embraced. To be able to gain intel from defeated foes through the eating of their flesh is an ill-understood practice to most Marine Chapters, one made use of sparingly. Not so the Revenants, who ate freely from the bodies of the fallen on both sides through the conquest of Terra. To them, it became a way of maintaining skills and memories of the Legion, dead warriors shared amongst their fellows, their memories imbibed. In some cases this allowed younger marines to quickly advance in rank, taking on the names and practices of those they had eaten. Ghastly, bad for the morale of allied human forces, but undoubtedly effective. The Sin Eaters have maintained this practice for 10,000 years, and in that time have learned how to coax those devoured memories to life. Their Omophagea has mutated further through repeated use, and the careful selection of desired traits by the Apothecarion. To be eaten by a Sin Eater is to be Known. Understood. Human foes are open to them completely, once their bodies are retrieved, and their own dead reclaimed for the genetic memory of the Chapter. All Initiates finish their elevation to full Astartes with a meal of the fallen, a final induction and training all in one. Stranger still are the Immortals. The genetic memory of the Chapter is strong, and certain individual consciousnesses, constructed from the devoured minds of dozens of fallen warriors stringer than most. These are the Immortals, those who have been reborn in fresh bodies when eaten, able to entirely replace the freshly hypno-indoctrinated minds of recruits, and return to the First Company clad in new flesh. These beings - or agreed upon delusions, as some within the Ordo Astartes claim - are by some measure the oldest 'living' Space Marines, with memory fragments dating back into the distant past, some for thousands of years. The re-embodiment of one of these Immortals is a grave and delicate task, overseen by both the Apothecaries and Chaplains of the Chapter. The body is retrieved, preserved in stasis, and made ready for devouring in total by a recruit selected for the task, one who has yet to taste their final meal, but is nevertheless complete and proven. They are watched and cared for during the potentially lengthy period of conversions, presented with items of their many lives, weapons and equipment, and finally allowed to return to service amongst their brothers, old eyes in a new face. The truth of the matter is difficult to discern, and harder still to ever truly confirm. Are they, as the Chapter claims, truly immortal beings within the genetic memory of the Chapter, born into new bodies through ritual and science? Or is this simply a more elaborate, and effective form of the 'spiritual' rebirth of officers in the days of the Revenant Legion, with fresh Astartes simply bolstered and aided by memories left for them by the lost? Who can say.

Hey everyone. I present to you all an Index Astartes article I've written for my Deathwatch army (part of which I'm painting up for the 2016 Deathwatch Painting Challenge): members of the Deathwatch Watch Fortress Fort Excalibris. I'm looking for some feedback on this, in particular the believability of what I've laid out here. In the past I've mentioned that I dislike "special snowflakes" (being someone that absolutely has to feel special, usually by violating some core tenet of whatever project they are participating in) and that continues to this day. In 40k, being a special snowflake tends to manifest itself in things like, "Oh, he's the only Grey Knight who's ever turned to Chaos" (despite background stating that NO Grey Knight has ever turned to Chaos). I'm concerned that I might have gone a little too far in some of the things I've described here so I'd like some other people to take a look at it and tell me if that's the case. I'm also a little... I guess "scared" is the term, seeing as I've taken two actual GW places/Chapters and given them a history of my own (Fort Excalibris and the Imperial Stars). Please let me know what you think. ========== Index Astartes: Fort Excalibris Origins The facility that would eventually become Fort Excalibris was founded in the 34th Millennium as a joint venture between the alien-hunting branch of the Inquisition, the Ordo Xenos, and the Adeptus Mechanicus to capture and study the tools of the alien. The Ordo Xenos provided a complement of Deathwatch Kill Teams to investigate alien activity and retrieve xeno-artefacts whilst the Adeptus Mechanicus pledged a cadre of Tech Priests and their servants to study anything captured, as well as the space station Er Kontor that would be their base of operations. Non-military members of the Ordo Xenos would oversee the running of the facility and provide additional aid to help the Adeptus Mechanicus in their research. Less than a century after the establishing of Er Kontor, the Fabricator-General of the relatively-nearby Forge world of Mezoa discovered the pro-xenos leanings of the Tech Priests doing research there and declared them Hereteks. Unable to directly assault them for fear of reprisal from the Inquisition, Mezoa engaged in a secret cold war with the unknowing space station. Whilst Er Kontor’s initial research was extremely promising, over time as their resources dwindled and former allies removed their support they produced fewer and fewer usable results to the point that the Ordo Xenos was prepared to scrap the project altogether. But, on the cusp of victory, Mezoa tipped their hand and accidentally exposed their actions to the Inquisition, who were swift to take action. Cold war exploded into open warfare. With all pretence of subterfuge gone, the Basilikon Astra of Mezoa was despatched to blow Er Kontor out of the stars. The Ordo Xenos responded in kind, sending a flotilla of Imperial Navy ships to defend the research facility. The flotilla arrived just in time to intercept the Adeptus Mechanicus ships bearing down on the space station. Massed rows of torpedoes flew across the ever-decreasing gap between the fleets before slamming into their targets in blossoms of red and yellow. Weapons batteries on both sides blazed white hot as they spewed their fiery payload upon their enemies. Lance fire sliced open ship hulls, exposing their innards to the void of space. As the Imperial Navy flotilla drew closer, the Adeptus Mechanicus fleet attempted to outmanoeuvre them in the hopes of accomplishing their assignment then retreating without paying too heavy a toll in destroyed vessels. But the ships loyal to the Inquisition managed to draw close and launched boarding actions against almost the entirety of the Mechanicus vessels. Few of the Legiones Skitarii had been deployed to the fleet and soon their ships started to become overrun with troops of the Ordo Xenos. In a last ditch effort to succeed in their mission the Adeptus Mechanicus’s flagship, a Retribution class battleship whose name has been lost to history, fired its final complement of torpedoes at the station before signalling the withdrawal of their fleet. The deadly missiles closed the distance with Er Kontor, the salvo large enough to obliterate the already-damaged facility. At the last moment, a Sword-class frigate named Excalibris flew headlong into the spread of torpedoes. The Excalibris was utterly destroyed, ripped asunder by a full half-dozen of the plasma warheads igniting as they impacted its hull. The remaining torpedoes continued on their path and hit Er Kontor, crippling the station as secondary explosions rippled throughout its structure. As the Adeptus Mechanicus fleet limped home to Mezoa, it was clear that their gambit had failed. Er Kontor, though crippled and listing in space, was still whole; the noble sacrifice of the Excalibris and her crew had saved the station from the majority of the torpedoes at the dear cost of the ship and their lives. In the aftermath of the battle, the Inquisition censured the forge world of Mezoa. Assuring them that the Adeptus Mechanicus personnel aboard the station had been wiped out in the explosions caused by the final torpedo impacts, the Ordo Xenos claimed the research facility as being solely theirs, renaming it Fort Excalibris in honour of the vessel that had sacrificed itself. Mezoa gladly let the Inquisition claim the facility, knowing it was a small price to pay and that they could have been forced to repay far more. Homeworld As with all Deathwatch Watch Fortresses, Fort Excalibris does not recruit new Space Marines but instead draws from the best xenos killers amongst the Adeptus Astartes. Fort Excalibris itself is a sprawling complex located in the eastern portion of Segmentum Obscuris, almost on the border with Ultima Segmentum. The initial space station has been built upon numerous times into a multi-hulled space fortress, surrounded by innumerable minefields and other defence emplacements. Whilst the basic goal of the venture of Fort Excalibris hasn’t changed over the millennia, the contingent of Deathwatch Kill Teams initially stationed there has evolved over time into being a fully fledged Watch Fortress. The research portion of the facility, initially staffed by the Adeptus Mechanicus, is now fully crewed by the Ordo Xenos and their servants. As one of the few Watch Fortresses to have a facility exclusively dedicated to xeno-tech research, Fort Excalibris has a reputation within certain circles for being at the forefront of Imperial research into alien technology. As a result of this, Kill Teams from all over the Imperium deliver numerous pieces of xeno-tech to the experts at Fort Excalibris in the hope that some vital information can be gleaned for use in the future. Deep within the depths of Fort Excalibris lie a great many relics and articles of war, some of which are so dangerous they cannot be used lest they annihilate all life on a planet’s surface. The Black Vault of Fort Excalibris is one of the most diverse in the Deathwatch, allowing its castellans to be armed with the deadliest weapons known to the enemies of Man. Combat Doctrine As befits a research centre such as Fort Excalibris, its Kill Teams are usually armed with the best equipment available to the Deathwatch. In some cases this means brand new, barely-post-testing weapons whilst in others this means ancient artefacts dating from before the Horus Heresy. The Kill Teams of Fort Excalibris are well-armed and equipped to face any foe on the battlefield. Whilst capable of making quick insertions into hostile territory, they are also fully able to wage war on a longer term basis, particularly in circumstances where xeno-tech acquisition is highly likely. In such cases specially adapted Corvus Blackstars and Thunderhawk Gunships are used to airdrop varying forms of forward command posts including Aegis Defence Lines, Imperial Bastions, and even Skyshield Landing Pads to allow the Deathwatch to maintain a mobile front line. The armoury of Fort Excalibris contains some of the rarest vehicles deployed by the Adeptus Astartes. Amongst other things, the Watch Commanders of Fort Excalibris can call upon the aid of motorised behemoths such as Legion Fellblades and Typhon Heavy Siege Tanks. The Cerberus Heavy Tank Destroyer is a particularly useful and oft-requisitioned vehicle, as it allows the Deathwatch the ability to take down alien Titans at long range; many such massive engines of war have been salvaged as a result of this war machine. Organisation Like most other Watch Fortresses of the Deathwatch, Fort Excalibris follows the standard format of a strategium staff and an armoury supporting five Watch Companies, each consisting of a Watch Captain and four Kill Teams. Due to the nature of Fort Excalibris, historically the Watch Commander has been an Ordo Xenos Inquisitor as often as it has been a Deathwatch Watch Master. In addition to his usual duties, the Watch Commander is also the overall head of the research and development facilities, though a Deathwatch Watch Master holding the post usually delegates that responsibility to a senior member of the Ordo Xenos. The current Watch Commander of Fort Excalibris is Watch Master Arcturus. Originally from the Imperial Stars, a Codex Chapter whose Astartes are all curiously named after the celestial bodies the Chapter is named for, he has dedicated himself towards the extermination of the Enemy Without through a lifetime of dedicated service to the Deathwatch. Arcturus eschews the traditional Guardian Spear wielded by a Marine of his station, instead taking the field with an ornate and ancient Relic Blade of great length and power. The more superstitious members of the Deathwatch whisper rumours that suggest this Relic Blade may have once been wielded by the Emperor himself and that the merest hint of His divine essence still resides within it. The Watch Captain of Fort Excalibris’s Watch Company Tertius is Magnus Blackwolf of the Space Wolves. Recruited from Engir Krakendoom’s Wolf Guard for his part in masterminding and leading an attack on an Ork-infested space hulk, Magnus has served in the Deathwatch with distinction for a great number of years. Distrusted by many within his own Chapter due to inadvertently choosing the name of the Space Wolves’ archenemy as his own following the Test of Morkai, Magnus finds himself more at home amongst his brethren in the Deathwatch than he ever felt in The Fang, the fortress monastery of the Space Wolves. Comfortable with using the wide variety of weapons and wargear afforded him by his station, Magnus leads his Watch Company from the front with a feral grin on his lips. The highest ranking non-Deathwatch member of the Ordo Xenos at Fort Excalibris is Inquisitor Ambrosius Grax. An ageing puritan of the Monodominant philosophy, since being assigned to Fort Excalibris he has tempered his methodology and now freely embraces the idea of using the weapons of the alien against them. Despite nominally having nothing but a desk job, Inquisitor Grax often assigns himself to Deathwatch Kill Teams on their expeditions to retrieve xeno-tech. When asked why, he smirks and replies, “Rank hath its privileges.” Requests from members of his support staff to stop doing so usually end up with said support staff temporarily reassigned to scourge the environmental duct systems of dust, debris, and vermin. Due to Kill Teams from all over the galaxy guarding and delivering new materiel to the researchers, Fort Excalibris is often host to Astartes from other Watch Fortresses, including such famous names as Watch Captain Artemis of Talasa Prime and Ortan Cassius, Chaplain of the Ultramarines. On rare occasions, these outsider members of the Deathwatch are conscripted into Excalibris’s Kill Teams and sent on missions by Watch Master Arcturus. Whilst technically an abuse of power, these actions are usually excused as the experience gained by fighting alongside Deathwatch members from other Watch Fortresses is seen as extremely valuable and are often “overlooked” by those who could do something about it. Beliefs The establishing of Fort Excalibris as a centre of research has led to the Deathwatch Marines stationed there embracing the use of refitted xeno-weaponry readily. Likewise the majority of their Ordo Xenos personnel have at least a slightly radical bent, as any position within the Watch Fortress is naturally attractive to individuals who would prefer to use the tools of the alien against them. The portion of the Adeptus Mechanicus who formed the initial alliance with the Inquisition followed a set of beliefs counter to those of the majority of their associates. Their interpretation of the Xenos Testamenta, one of the Mechanicus’s Sixteen Universal Laws, meant they believed that even though the knowledge found within alien technology had been corrupted from the pure thought of the Machine God, it could still be salvaged for the Quest for Knowledge. As a result, Fort Excalibris has become something of a pilgrimage site for members of the Adeptus Mechanicus who follow similar pro-xenos beliefs, though those who do visit often do so in disguise so as not to be identified. Gene-seed Like all other Watch Fortresses across the Imperium, the Deathwatch is composed of Space Marines from a number of different Chapters, with a variety of nearly identical to little-to-no similarity in their gene-seed. The exact composition of Fort Excalibris’s Deathwatch Marines varies over time, but currently includes members of the Ultramarines, Dark Angels, Crimson Fists, Liberators, and Howling Griffins. There is a slightly higher than average number of Astartes from the Silver Skulls Chapter, likely due to Fort Excalibris’s proximity to their homeworld of Versavia. Battlecry Raising his sword towards the heavens, the leader of a given Deathwatch Kill Team or army calls out, “FOR EXCALIBRIS!” which is echoed in turn by his comrades. Watch Fortress Icon http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a182/Masked_Thespian/Wargaming/TIC%20HPC%202016/17d%20Excalibris%20Icon.png ========== Author's Notes and Trivia The major driving force of the background was justifying certain model choices in-universe. This includes: Wanting to convert the original limited edition Emperor's Champion into my Watch Master, Including a Lord of War and a Fortification choice as per one of the painting and modelling challenges on another site that I'm participating in, Wanting to include the Deathwatch special characters Watch Captain Artemis, Venerable Dreadnought Nihilus, and Kill Team Cassius in my army as themselves, and, Wanting to include a Puritan Inquisitor with a roguish streak. In my first draft of this, Fort Excalibris was initially a Ramiles class star fort, but I couldn't justify why such an impressive installation wasn't considered a Primary Watch Fortress (as per pages 12 and 13 of the codex). The incursion by the Adeptus Mechanicus was originally an attempt to explain why it wasn't a Primary Watch Fortress (due to them maintaining a long-running grudge and starving the Fort of resources and allies), but all my attempts at writing it ended up with the AdMech holding the idiot ball. In the end, I still included the AdMech attack because I liked the inter-Imperial conflict, and I especially enjoyed writing the battle. For anyone paying attention, there are a number of references here. In particular, there are 5 specific references to Arthurian legend (excluding the fact that the name of the Watch Fortress is "Excalibris" (which is where I took the inspiration from) since that's what GW called it) and 1 Star Trek reference (which kind of doubles up to 2 if you look at it in the right light). Bonus points are available for anyone who finds them all

Chapter Datafile: Graven Souls Graven Soul Date:...............57.M42 Ref:................LBC//TEC7710101 By:.................TechCaptain Re:.................Adeptus Astartes - Graven Soul Thought:............"." CHAPTER NAME: .............. Graven Soul FOUNDING: ..................13TH CHAPTER WORLD: .............Odokuro FORTRESS MONASTERY: ........Iron Palace GENE-SEED (PREDECESSOR): ...Unknown (White Scars Suspected) KNOWN DESCENDANTS: ........."NONE" Primary Data Allegiance: Imperium of Man (Fedelitas Constantus) Chapter Master: Lord Gravemind Size Estimate: Estimated at 1,000 Specialty: Shock Assault, High-Mobility Warfare, Extensive Use of Bikes, Guerrilla Warfare, Hit-and Run, Terror Tactics Battle Cry: "Gespenst Jäger" Colours:Dark Spectral Green The Graven Soul are bellicose Space Marine Chapter whose terror tactics has earned these notorious [Astartes a fell reputation across the width and breadth of the Imperium. They were created during the mysterious 13th Founding, the so-called 'Dark Founding', due to the scarcity of any information on this particular Founding or how many Chapters were created at that time. To add to this Chapter's mystery, it is unknown from which genetic lineage they are descended from though they claim to be from the White Scars. Of all the Chapters of the Adeptus Astartes, none exemplifies the virtues of strict self-control more than the Graven Soul. The Graven Soul Chapter culture is one that is very wary of the idea of martial glory or honour, and prefers instead to emphasise pragmatism, adaptability and completion of the mission over all other concerns. They understand that war is suffering and death. It is a brutal business that they specialize in, but they have no desire to wallow in its misery beyond what is required to carry out the Emperor's will. Its success is dependent upon its ability to think and execute in a distributed and independent fashion. The Graven Soul willingly employ whatever tactics they believe most appropriate no matter how it looks to others, relying upon success to establish their Chapter's glory rather than misguided notions of honour and dogmatic thought. Chapter History The history of the Graven Soul is a tainted and dark one. Created some time during the 35th or 36th Millennium, the Graven Soul has acted as a shadow force to many an Imperial vengeance campaign. The Imperium moves to act with decisive force as the foul taint of the xenos is found to be at the root cause of corrupted planets either by addiction to the aliens' foul psychotropics and depraved practices, or sometimes when the corruption is found in other means or cause. The Graven Soul follows Imperial strike forces and Crusades to wage wars of retribution and terror until the corrupted planets are brought back into line. Often, these campaigns required a show of force to subjugate planetary rulers and dynasties that had been used to governing their worlds for Terran centuries and even millennia. Even more often, Imperial Compliance had to be obtained by force of arms. In these great wars, tyrants were cast down and witches burned, planets purged of the foul taint of mutants, xenos and Warp-beasts such that eventually these campaigns of planetary conquest became known as Imperial Compliance campaigns or, more simply, rendering a world "Compliant." Chapter Homeworld Odokuro is completely urbanized and stacked with hundreds of layers of arcologies, covering the entirety of the planet, effectively becoming an ecumenopolis. Nearly everything within Odokuro is recycled and reused, and few things are ever wasted. The air a hive worlder breathes, the water he drinks, and the food he eats likely all has once passed through the bodies of countless others, endlessly restored to be consumed once again. When a hive worlder dies his duty to the hive and house are not done, and most hives reconstitute their dead for the resources they can provide. Corrupt and murderous gangs, whether or not they were named as such, ruled every part of Odokuro. From the heights of nobility to the lowest alley, every inch of Odokuro was someone's domain, someone's territory or hunting ground. In the slum habitation stacks, the gangs ruled by raw fear, killing and torturing as they pleased, fighting wars with the feral packs of outcasts who were closer to animals than men. It was said that many of these gangs ate the dead, treating their territories as a predator might a hunting ground. In the mines and factories which still turned the planet's wheels of industry, the gangs went by names that echoes with a false authority. Slab muscled and furnace-scarred, they walked the streets clanking with weaponry and reeking of murder, enforcing order that was little more than slavery. In the wealthier areas, the sons and daughters of the corrupt nobility gathered in packs, clad in costumes like strutting peacocks, as quick to kill with blade or gun as they were to cast an insult. No matter what their station, almost all gangs owed fealty to one of the numberless barons, counts and lords, who in turn served still more powerful men and women, many of whom styled themselves with courtly titles that echoes a long forgotten nobility. There was no law in these lightless lands, and survival existed only by a blade's edge. Only the strongest and the most ruthless survived in the subterranean warrens, and those who did grew in cruelty and cunning. The dark owned Odokuro, body and soul, and its existence was a horror to equal any xenos enslavement or nightmare of the Dark Age of Technology. If there ever had been true laws, they had vanished long ago, eaten by the greed of a few and the desperation of many. Murder was the currency of life, and strength came from violence. Every sin great and small had its home in Odokuro's endless terror filled streets. Fortress-Monastery Known as the Iron Palace, one can only get to it through the Demon's Cavern which is guarded by four "Ogres". Every entrance is sealed with heavy adamantium gates, barred by ancient and complex locks, keyed to the unique genetic code of the Graven Soul's battle-brothers. The monastery also incorporates shimmering void shields, domes of power enveloping the entire structure to ward off orbital bombardments or assaults from Titans. Covering every entrance and approach, macro-cannon turrets, heavy bolter bunkers and missile batteries scan the horizon for foes, ready to unleash their deadly ordnance at a second's notice. Notable Campaigns Wars of Apostasy (Unknown.M36) - The Graven Soul added their bother chapters by committing to a sequence of battles and wars to draw the insane High Lord Goge Vandire's forces focus to more targets thinning the amount of resources he had available. Plague of Unbelief (Unknown.M36) - Graven Soul sent out several families 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. Lost Crusade (Unknown.M37) - Graven Soul parties sent out to numerous worlds to track down and eliminate hostile elements of the menial uprisings. Many parties deploy and mostly come back with reports that uprisings were widespread. 9th Black Crusade Splinter (574.M38) - Graven Soul engage in a decades long war against various elements of far reaching fleets from the Eye of Terror. Terror of Heretical Thoughts (Unknown.M42) - The detachment of Agents who’d just survived their civil war barely had time to rest and process what had just happened, when they were called to battle yet again. In order to atone for their role in the Avalon Sector’s rebellion, the Agents were once again tasked by the Inquisition with bringing a secessionist world to heel. At this point, this force of Agents had snapped. To them, their secessionist comrades were right the entire time. Upon landing onto the planet of Amersh, the Agents who were deployed went rogue, supporting the rebellious governor in the process. The Inquisitorial forces who deployed with the Agents were quickly slaughtered. The Agents on the ground tried and failed to contact the Emperor’s Liberators chapter, for they were busy elsewhere. The only other force in the galaxy supposedly sympathetic to the values of freedom and independence were the Blood Gorgons, a renegade chapter. They were happy to reinforce Amersh, but for an agenda they never informed the Agents of. Luckily for the Agents, the Blood Gorgons arrived just in time, as Inquisitorial forces arrived alongside the brutal Graven Souls chapter. The Graven Souls led cunning assassinations against the rebel leadership, and ambushed any Blood Gorgons they encountered. The rogue Agents fought hard to protect the rebel strongholds, but they were overmatched. Most evacuation attempts were shut down by the Imperial blockade. Only a few dozen Blood Gorgons and a thousand rogue Agents of Liberty escaped. The rest were wiped out. Chapter Organisation The Graven Soul are semi-Codex compliant Chapter that utilises their own unique form of organisation, ranks and formations. The Chapter often refer to their companies as "families", each of which is slightly smaller than what the [[:w:c:warhammer40k:Codex Astartes|''Codex Astartes'']] dictates. Each family maintains a large stock of vehicles, in particular transports and bikes, and every Battle-Brother is cross-trained in the operation of them all. The Chapter Master is the overall leader of the Graven Soul, and directly beneath him are his Chief Adviser and Headquarters Chief. The chain of command is followed by the Captains of the Families, who governs their Family with the help of a Lieutenant who is himself responsible for the equivalent of a demi-company. The Squads themselves are governed by their Sergeant. Each member's connection is ranked by the hierarchy of Sake sharing. Captains are at the top, and control various Senior Advisers. The Senior Advisers control their own campaigns. They have their own underlings, including other brothers, advisers, and support personnel. Like their fellow Astartes Chapters, the Graven Soul also maintain a Librarius of potent psykers who are highly talented and trained to master the power of the Warp at the highest levels, though they refer to these warriors as "Doomseers". Doomseers act as advisers to the Chapter's leaders as well as being powerful psykers. Doomseers are able to command the very elements; their foes are battered to ruin by mighty winds or beset by forked lightning from the storm-wracked skies. Graven Soul Captains are fiercely independent, and it is incredibly rare for the Chapter to fight as a whole. Individual families are completely autonomous and are quick to lend their aid to Imperial commanders across the galaxy, with or without the sanction of their Chapter Master. Such behaviour has led some in the other Space Marine Chapters to question the Graven Soul's soundness as a military force, but most recognize that such fluidity of command only proves the presence of the Chapter's formidable discipline, not its absence. ===Officer Ranks=== Chapter Master Lord - Captain equivalent. Lieutenant ===Specialist Ranks=== Chief Adviser - Chief Librarian equivalent. Doomseers - Librarians, These psyker-warriors have deeply-ingrained mystical traditions identical to those of the gangs shamans and holy men. The Graven Flame Seers are believed to see the darkest path of all possible futures leading their brothers down dark paths and to find ways around the dark ends. Headquarters Chief ===Line Ranks=== Veteran Sergeant Sergeant Battle-Brother Scout Marine Neophytes ===Squad Formations=== Fu (風) - "Move as swift as the Wind" (Close Support Squads) Rin (林) - "Stay as silent as a Forest" (Scout Squads) Ka (火) - "Attack as fierce as Fire" (Battleline Squads) Zan (山) - "Be immovable like a mountain" (Fire Support Squads) Kaze (風) - "Wind" (Pilots) Chapter Recruitment The Graven Soul draw their recruits from best warriors amongst the Notorious Clan-gangs of Odokuro, many of whom are engaged in fierce internecine blood feuds that date back countless generations. While psycho-conditioning during the gene-seed implantation process could be used to wipe such feuds from the Neophyte's mind, to do so would risk diluting much of what makes him a desirable candidate in the first place. In order to overcome the feuding, the Graven Soul ensure that Battle-Brothers from the same gang serve in different squads, making each unit a product of many different gangs. Intermingled in such a manner, old feuds become largely irrelevant, and without squad mates from the same gangs to reinforce an ancient grudge, such matters are quickly forgotten. Chapter Beliefs Callous and brutal though they are, the Graven Soul are not without pride, and the trappings and titles of aristocracy and dominion formed a key part of their identity, and rivalry, often violent. The gang traditions of Odokuro were carried over to every aspect of their Chapter. There were few amongst their ranks who did not bear some form of title, and the craftsmanship with which they embellished their weapons and armour was remarkable. Every Member of the Graven Soul traditionally take a blood oath of allegiance, and a member who breaks the code must show penance—historically through a ritual in which they cut off his own little finger with a sword and presents it to his leader. The cutting off of one's finger, is a form of penance or apology. Upon a first offense, the transgressor must cut off the tip of his left little finger and give the severed portion to his sergeant. Sometimes an sergeant may do this in penance to the leader if he wants to spare a member of his own squad from further retaliation. So strong is their discipline and loyalty to their leader that his word of judgement is invariably final. The nature of that judgement depends on circumstances, and may result in one or both brethren being punished in some way or, in the most extreme of cases, ordered to fight one another in ritual combat to settle the matter once and for all. Despite the teachings of the leaders and Doomseers regarding the unity of all Graven Soul, it is not unheard of for existing gang feuds to flare up between fellow squad members. The Astartes of the Graven Soul get tattoos are "hand-poked", that is, the ink is inserted beneath the skin using non-electrical, hand-made and handheld tools with needles of sharpened bamboo or steel to show their allegiance with their various squads and companies. Through these tattoos one can trace the lineage of a particular marine and how they were train and more importantly who their loyalties are too. Permanent resin-based dyes have been added to prominent figures, producing hybrid scars and tattoo forms. Vivid results have been noted, yet their chemical composition is not yet fully understood by Imperial savants. The leader-subordinate relationship is formalized by ceremonial sharing of sake from a single cup. This ritual is not exclusive to the Graven Flame but is a part of sworn brotherhood relationships the Graven Soul Astartes form. The Chapter believes that as long as the spiritual powers of ancestors and spirits of the elements heed the call of the Doomseers, the Graven Soul will never falter on the field of battle. All Graven Soul bear the long, ritual scar that is called an Honour Scar and is the mark they receive when they are fully accepted into the Chapter as Neophytes. Graven Soul members are also very superstitious, every Astartes has the ability to see omens and portents but only the Doomseers are able to correctly guide their brothers down the paths the omens foretell. According to Graven Soul Doomseers, spirit-like entities reside in all things. Such spirits possessed emotions and personalities. If the spirit were peaceful it will bring good fortune—such as bountiful harvests. Violent spirits bring ill fortune—including illness and natural disasters. One's ancestors and particularly-respected departed elders accrue status as protective gods and receiving worship. Animals, objects and natural features or phenomena were also venerated as peaceful or violent spirits depending on the area. The Doomseers either convert the spirits into peaceful spirits for their brothers or command the violent ones against their enemies. The ritual for converting violent spirit into a peaceful spirit is called the Calming. Calming rituals are performed to quell maleficent spirits, prevent misfortune and alleviate fear from events and circumstances that could not otherwise be explained. Peaceful Spirits that failed to achieve deification due to lack of sufficient veneration, or who lost their divinity following attrition of worshipers, became Demons in the service of Chaos. Combat Doctrine The Graven Soul are masters of stealth, able to infiltrate a position quickly and silently. These arts appear to be innate to the Chapter, and are used most often during the games the Graven Soul use to drive their prey into paroxysms of terror. Once they have prepared themselves and found places to launch an assault that meets their standards, the Graven Soul are capable of sudden, shockingly brutal ambushes or unconventional attacks intended to thin the enemy's ranks or simply sow chaos among the foe. Despite their Astartes-enhanced physiology and their cumbersome armour, they are taught to move with silence and invisibility. Each Graven Soul warrior moves silently in his own way, and it is each warrior's understanding of the empty spaces between sounds that allows them to occupy them. One such tactic designed to enhance fear that has been observed to be used by the Graven Soul is when they unleash a fifteen second-long vox-augmented scream that ruptures any unprotected eardrums in the vicinity. Once their victims are hunched over in agony, stunned and deaf, the Graven Soul unleash their wrath. Speed and strategic maneuverability are the cardinal virtues of their campaigns, and flexibility and the ability to adapt to circumstances swiftly are the hallmarks of their finest strategists. They meet brute force with emptiness, flowing around the foe to strike at his weakest points before falling back to strike again. Some see them as unreliable, for they are wont to avoid battle save on ground of their own choosing, but time and time again they have been disregarded and ignored only for their foes and allies alike to find them suddenly present at the heart of the battle, ready to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat, always laughing as they kill. The Families strive for the honour of being declared "First" in the attack, competing in every manner to lead the assault. The families keep tally of each battle in which they have been declared "First," for the Battle-Brothers know that their deeds will be recounted for all time and their names never forgotten. To be "First" is such an honour that all gang feuds are forgotten, the bonds of Astartes brotherhood far stronger than those of mortal gangs. Because each of the Chapter's families tended to operate independently, most of the Graven Soul's vehicles are held at the company level, squadrons operating in direct support of the family's squads. The Graven Soul are veterans of countless campaigns of terror and conquest. Each member of the Chapter is highly trained and proficient in the use of terror tactics, psychological warfare, and lightning raids and ambushes intended to leave their opponents completely demoralized and easy targets for the Chapter. The combat doctrines of the Graven Soul Chapter have been honed throughout the millennia of battle and bloodshed, but they still reflect those of the original warrior-gangs of their planet. Though wild and savage, the warrior-gangers of the Odokuro hives are highly intelligent tacticians and masters of field craft. Each Battle-Brother draws on the savagery of the underhives not as a mindless berserker, but as a finely-crafted hunting spear delivered with the focused precision of a master predator. They specialize in hitting their enemy with a peerless impact and frightening speed, but they are never reckless. Time spent on preparations is vital to their strategy, as they reconnoiter each target in depth and formulate detailed plans and contingencies, coordinating their strike to ensure that maximum damage is done. Their modus operandi consists of lightning-fast hit-and-run attacks conducted by highly mobile forces, destroying the enemy piece by piece and never allowing the enemy to force a decisive or static engagement. Striking when possible from the darkness of dusk or dawn, the Graven Soul assault the enemy where they were weakest, rampaging through rear zones in order to sever lines of communication, and resupply and isolate individual concentrations of enemy troops. Often times jump assault troops are kept in reserve and then sent into action against the weakest points of the enemy line. This concept of preying on the vulnerable has led the Graven Soul assault troops to become vicious hunters who can strike anywhere, at any time. The Graven Soul Assault Troops have a tendency to modify their armour to give themselves a more terrifying appearance, mimicking the appearance of a vicious bird of prey or a swooping daemon. Graven Soul decorate their Power Armour with images designed to inspire fear in the enemy, a tactic that proves incredibly effective. Rumours of the impending presence of the Graven Soul would cause a rebel star system to pay all outstanding Imperial tithes, cease all illegal activities and put to death any mutants and suspected Traitors. One and all wear decorated masks of horrid monsters like the Ogre, the wraith, and more. The Graven Soul also uses a high number of Doomseers who actually lead when and where they strike for the greatest psychological effect. They are now known for ruthless execution of high speed targeted attacks for greatest psychological effect. Chapter Gene-Seed It is unknown which Primarch's gene-seed was utilised in the creation of the Graven Soul. Their gene-seed seems relatively untainted, if subject to some long-term degradation. The Graven's gene-seed has obviously suffered some mutations from the original source that was given to them millennia earlier. Though the source of the Graven Soul's own gene-seed remains suppressed, nobody knows exactly which Primarch's gene-seed was utilised in the creation of the Graven Soul, as their gene-seed doesn't contain any specific genetic markers. However, the real legacy of their gene seed might be psychological, as there was a tendency for paranoia and self-destructive behavior displayed by many within the Graven Soul. They thrive in the use of psychological warfare and fear tactics. The Graven Soul Seers are believed to see the darkest path of all possible futures, a terrible curse. Graven Soul Astartes are as intensely loyal as any of the Chapters of the Adeptus Astartes and do not take their duty lightly nor the oaths they take to the Emperor. Regardless, however, they retain a fatalism which can cling to them even in their most triumphant moments. Unlike the stubborn adherence to duty that other Chapters might possess, which would see a Battle-Brother fight on until claimed by death, the Graven Soul have instead 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. The Graven Soul all can see in absolute darkness, with a clarity that is above and beyond even the ability of normal Space Marine ocular implants and have haunting black-within-black eyes. They also possess an innate "preysight"; the ability to see in the infrared spectrum to detect heat signatures. Finally, a Graven Soul Astartes can all have a gravelly voice that is barely a whisper on the shadows to be heard. Their voice sends chills onto those that hear it that are not of their blood, raising primal fears. It is unknown where the controlled savagery of the Graven Soul came originally from but whatever the cause, there is a ferocity within their hearts and their blood that grants them great power, but which also threatens to consume all that they are and damn them. All Graven Soul are watchful for this necessary yet insidious savagery, and it is only with great discipline, humble introspection and often the watchfulness of their Battle-Brothers that they can hope to master themselves. Primarch's Curse: Nightmare Determination When the Chapter's genetic curse manifests itself in an affected Battle-Brother, it comes on in three stages: Stage 1 - The Shadow of Death: The Battle-Brother starts to see death in everything. He becomes distant and makes little effort to forge alliances with new squad members, knowing they will soon be in the grave. He becomes more dismissive of death and the praising of the dead, seeing little glory in their sacrifice, only the inevitable end to their duty and another corpse to feed the gods of war. This attitude can grate on those around the Battle-Brother and he suffers with his fellowship when dealing with other soldiers or members of the Adeptus Astartes. Sullen and withdrawn, the urge to inflict terror of death upon their victims grows with each passing hour. Stage 2 - The Bad Beneath the Good: The Battle-Brother cannot help but reflect on the worst side of a new development and will endeavour to find the worst aspect of even the most favourable of circumstances. Quite apart from causing friction within his squad, the drawing of focus onto potential problems and unforeseen dangers (regardless of the actual likelihood they will impact on the squad's mission) can cause compromises in command and less than direct tactical judgments. They are cruel, ruthless, and opportunistic, frequently striking at vulnerable targets and toying with their unfortunate victims. Stage 3 - Game Over: Death is inevitable and the Battle-Brother is already a walking corpse just waiting for the moment when an enemy's blade or bullet ends him. Filled with visions of his own demise, the Battle-Brother begins to act recklessly, accepting that it is his time and there is nothing he can do to prevent it coming. This will not only place him in danger but can endanger his entire squad. The Battle-Brother does not contribute to the squad's cohesion as he fails to adequately aid them in battle. In addition, he tends not to gain the benefit of hiding behind cover, as even when behind barricades and walls he exposes himself to fire with little mind to remaining concealed. These Astartes live only for the thrill of inflicting terror upon their unfortunate victims, the overwhelming desire for the infliction of pain and suffering, trying to share their vision of the end. Chapter Fleet The Chapter fleet of the Graven Souls is not particularly large or notable except that it features in general Improved Stealth Systems and Electronic Countermeasures (ECM) that either mask your presence in auspices or alter your coordinates. Further they make extensive use of Boarding pods and Electronic disabling weaponry. Chapter Relics Alt Schmied Jäger: A long Double-bladed Cavalry Power Sword, comprised of two large waved blades joined by a common hilt with an extending holder. Parrying with such a sword may transmit unpleasant vibrations into the attacker's blade. These vibrations caused the blades to slow contact with each other because each wave provided additional friction. The unusual cross section of the blade would inflict wider wounds with a thrust while still keeping the blade light. Nōryoku Ken: Despite attempts at nondestructive analysis of the sword’s composition, including variations of X-ray fluorescence, Magos of the Cult Mechanicus has yet to make any significant progress toward identifying the material in question. As its stands, it is known only that the sword is forged of a non-terrestrial metallic element held in tight suspension by Psionic energy that it itself contained by forces unknown. All accounts, this weapon is a prize for both the warrior and the scholar alike. Deathwatch Service To be chosen by Graven Soul Doomseers to serve in the Deathwatch is a great honour for any Brother, as only the most elite and experienced members of a Graven Soul are ever chosen for this extremely hazardous tour of duty, the specifics of which must be kept secret by Inquisitorial order. Chapter Appearance The 'family' crests are adopted from the Clan-gangs of their homeworld. Every brother of the Graven Souls knows it is important to trace back one's heritage, and does so by honoring them by displaying their crest on their armor. When a Brother Marine becomes a Sergeant, he is allowed to display his "family's" crest on his back banner when in charge of a squad. If a Brother Sergeant becomes a Brother Captain, his crest becomes the company crest and is displayed on the company standard.

The Verdant Phoenix Of Flame and Steel The Phoenix Verdant are stoic guardians of humanity who safeguard Imperial worlds through fast and precise counter-offensives. Charged with the security of the Irea system and its surrounding sectors, a cautious gaze hides their fierce and exacting methods for crippling and then destroying their foes. Much like their progenitors the Iron Hands marines of the Verdant Phoenix chapter hold a deep seeded obsession for logic and advancement. Driven towards specialization, these precise warriors readily adapt to unseen challenges to make safe their sector of space. Markings and Heraldry Origins "Our task is not a simple one. This chapter in its entirety hangs in the balance, and we must uncover the truth of their existence. While the loss of such an asset would be a tragedy and leave the Imperium lesser for it, the vile machinations of their founding must be ripped out root and stem. Start with these, Victoria. We will be here for some time." - Inquisitor Yusuph Trevar Planting Seeds – The Founding Into the Fire – The Blight of Irea Rising from the Ashes – The birth of the Phoenix Homeworld "Ah, the great bread-basket of Tempestus! I know it well, and I'll tell you now there's nothing you can offer that will make me smuggle through that port no sir. The place is crawling with sisters and arbiters, and the Verdant sometimes meander the docks. I'd be a poor and foolish bastard to put myself on the cross side of that I'll tell you." - Unknown Lowlife Irea System A hub of trade and economic activity, Irea has come a long way since its reconstruction during the blight. For hundreds of years it has sat as an asset too valuable to lose, and many imperial factions have supported its growth to ensure its security. Primarily an agricultural juggernaut, Irea boasts three agri-worlds that supply much of the food needed throughout its sector of the Segmentum Tempestus. Thanks to its existence and position, many worlds enjoy expansion unhindered by sustenance concerns and thanks to that expansion, Irea has enjoyed access to any and all resources it’s ever needed to support its own growth. Included in its sphere of exports is the Ophelia system, and many of the supporting worlds that maintain the Ecclesiarchy’s position there. Irea Primary The specific homeworld of the Verdant Phoenix chapter is Irea Primary, which is also the most populated and the economic hub for the entire system. Primarily a Hive world, it houses the logistical backbone of the whole system while also containing much of the system’s industrial infrastructure. Most Imperial factions maintain a notable presence on world, including three lesser orders of the Adepta Sororitas, an inquisitorial headquarters, Irea’s two Militarum regiments, a Naval academy, numerous arms of the Adeptes Arbites, and relatively large detachment the Adeptes Mechanicus. Oddly, Irea Primary is one of the less suitable candidates for life and it’s position of importance within the system came about purely as a coincidence. When the system was originally settled it acted as a staging ground for the research of the unique atmospheres present in the system; and that head start solidified its position as a hub. Geography Populace Governing Bodies Industry and Economy Other Orbital Bodies Gene-Seed "Welcome back brother, I look forward to watching you grow again. Tell me, what do you remember?" - Brother Rasgir, Apothecary of the Second Company The Verdant are host to a stable but flawed gene-seed that has warped their self-image and challenged their faith for millennia. A subtle mutation in the Progenoid glands causes them to retrieve more than simple genetic data but also neurological data from the brain of the marine that seeded them. Contained in the Proto-Omophagea as it develops, this data is stored chemically and can be transferred to its new host upon re-implantation in the form of impulses and hallucinations, even memories at times. While these symptoms do not always develop, they can be startling if and when they do. Fortunately, on a biological level the mutation is very difficult to spot, and even then seems like it would have little effect on the system. Only by successfully re-implanting a progenoid that has been used over a full lifetime are the effects apparent. It's unclear when the mutation itself began to appear, over centuries of service its easy for such things to go unnoticed as marines refuse to disclose something that may classify them unfit for duty. It's believed it came about in M39 when the chapter’s implant success rates began to decline from ten to six percent. Since then Apothecaries have sought to understand and document it in secret, and it has become central to the chapter’s culture-even more so since their transition. Where once it was a coveted secret only discussed by the closest of battle brothers unfortunate enough to be afflicted by it, the sparks (as they're called) are now a welcomed occurrence. Marines within the chapter now trace their lineages back through time, trying to trigger episodes where they can pull from the experiences of their ancestors. Better yet, Marines in combat now allow themselves to be taken by these episodes rather than fighting them. Acting as their ancestors and pulling from skills they may not have mastered yet, these marines are beginning to conquer the drawbacks of their mutation that can incapacitate those who fight to keep control of themselves. Initiates have, since adopting these practices, taken less and less time to train; and the chapter phased out its scout company long before crossing the rubicon. Combat simulations seem to spark these experiences, especially in those of particularly old lineages. This has helped to offset the lower success rates in surgery, but even still the Chapter has to take in more recruits than normal to maintain fighting strength. Also, many marines object to having their implants removed before death, coveting the opportunity to impart their experiences on the next generation. This has put pressure on the chapter's medics, as each soldier who is not harvested on the battlefield is a severe disappointment to their comrades, and can even draw rage on the fallen's behalf. Chapter Recruitment “You have to be forward thinking. Men can always be made available to you as recruits, but it will be easier if they want to. Send your marines out now, when Irea is at its weakest. Lend their formidable labor and intellect to the reconstruction of our system. The men they aid will be too old for your purposes, but the boys... They won’t soon forget it. And when they come of age they’ll line the streets to fight for you.” - Director Aelia Corrilan The Verdant recruit exclusively from the Irea system. Its governing bodies have long fulfilled their commitment to the chapter's recruiting quotas, providing a mixture of volunteers and conscripts as needed. Since Irea recruits for its many military operations together, veteran marines and even officers stationed on world will regularly visit recruiting centers to encourage and oversee. Once recruits have finished their preliminary testing, those who meet the chapter’s serious requirements are separated and organized into aspirant groups. These teams of aspirants often find the proud and exceptionally educated volunteers tested alongside gangsters of Irea Primary’s hives, encouraging them to rely on one another's strengths to advance. Focused on finding strong warriors but also capable tacticians, those in charge of screening tend to favor aspirants who work together to solve problems with efficiency and forethought. Perhaps the most sought traits of all are analytical thinking and humility, as the chapter's tactics often find small groups tackling large problems there is rarely room for error or pride. Through their tests, aspirants have results demanded of them first, followed by efficiency, and finally speed. Most notably, unlike many chapters that put individual recruits through their trials, the Verdant Phoenix chapter organizes almost entirely group tests that require teamwork to succeed. Most groups succeed or fail together, but in some outlying cases individuals prove themselves so worthy even among a failing group that they are given another chance with another group; or sometimes those in successful groups contribute so little that they are failed outright. The final test and trial for aspirant marines is the only one they take alone, and it involves surviving one hour on the scorched surface of Issai. Most go into this trial assuming it to be a test of physical endurance, withstanding the scorching heat and toxic fumes; but that couldn't be farther from the truth. Those who fall prey to this misconception find their lungs full of soot and ash while their clothes and then skin and tissue burn and boil away. The trial instead is about resourcefulness. Aspirants must first locate a cave and quickly, as their flesh begins to burn and peel away within minutes. Once underground and away from the ignited atmosphere they must then navigate to a safe spot in the pitch black and count the hour out. Too deep and their scorched limbs may not be able to carry them out, too shallow and they'll pass out and suffocate slowly. They must then demonstrate the calm and focus necessary to count the remaining minutes with exceptional precision. Emerge too soon, and they will likely die before making it back to their hiding spot. Emerge too late, and the serfs who brought them there will have left. The aspirants who pass their trials are brought to the fortress monastery to begin their surgeries, and surviving that: their new life. Chapter Cult and Culture “It is the Emperor’s flame that lights the way. That flame that keeps back the gnashing cold of the void and it is that flame by which the spirit is cleansed of weakness. For you today, Brother, it relieves you of your hubris. For your enemies tomorrow, it will relieve them of their flesh.” - Chaplain Romu of the 2nd company, to a disciplined marine. While the Verdant Phoenix chapter has long since embraced a pragmatic approach to most affairs, they still maintain their own form of zealotry. Most prominently fire is seen as its own form of holy symbol, and in the eyes of the chapter it is the preferred tool by which to devastate the Emperor’s enemies as well as burn weakness out of themselves. Chaplains of the chapter carry pyres ignited by Issai’s still burning skies, and similarly sourced flames adorn the halls of their fortress monastery. Prayer and penance are both taken before the flame, and burn scars are common among older marines. Because of this mild obsession, Battle brothers carry nothing flammable into battle. No tabards or books, not even purity seals which can draw the ire of other chapters. Instead their armour is anointed with holy oils, entire texts written out invoking the emperor’s protection and strength that is then burned away to cement its sanctity. These rites of purity are written out by the marines themselves, and normally cemented through ignition by the chapter’s chaplains upon inspection. Additionally, each of the chapter’s ten battle barges carries a massive pyre lit and then carried aloft from Issai’s surface which is used in such rituals while its company is abroad. Perhaps the most pervasive tenant in their lives is towards reformation and improvement. While this takes many forms, from technological innovation to behavioral conditioning, it has proved itself the driving force behind most of the major changes the chapter has undergone since its rebirth. Their gene-seed too has reinforced ideologies of constant advancement and nothing is beyond reproach within the chapter’s organization. While they do not suffer from the body dysmorphia of their progenitors, it has led to some unfortunate issues when taken to the extreme; neophytes exercising or training themselves to death for example. It has however made the chapter stronger and a more effective war machine in the Emperor’s name. Modified equipment to better suit their specific charge and tactics, as well as the chance to discuss and second guess leadership decisions have both led to unlikely victories over the centuries. It does lead to at times difficult situations with other arms of the Imperial military, namely other chapters, where the input of those lowest on the chain of command is not as welcome. Still, the constant pressure to become better and leave a stronger legacy is at the heart of the chapter, and they have long since outgrown denying it. Cooperation is also held very close to the heart of most battle brothers, who have held good and close relationships with several of the Imperium's military and civilian organizations. Used to commanding elements of the Militarum on the field and assisting citizens on the streets, the chapter’s marines are better socialized than most and look upon humanity’s plebs as guardians and teachers would. This often can conflict with their loathing for weakness and can snap to rage in the face of exceptional incompetence or impudence; but these instances are relatively rare. Brothers of the Verdant Phoenix have a very specific relationship with their Sisters of Battle, close enough that many of their orders are welcome within the halls of the chapter’s fortress monastery from time to time. Their actions during the Blight of Irea inspired centuries of cooperation and trust, and a bond that has only grown stronger over time. While would-be marines start their lives among the chapter young and ignorant but eager to learn, the sisters who they come into contact with are always experienced and vigilant; and neophytes are encouraged to learn from them. Apothecaries especially get a good portion of their training from the orders hospitallier and meet their medical colleagues as kin. Chaplains as well commune with members of the faithful and hold the unrivaled devotion of the Sororitas in very high esteem even through disagreement on semantics. The Mechanicus as well, from their active forge on Moira, are responsible for most Verdant Phoenix equipment and war machines. Not just for their production, but the innovation of the chapter’s tools of war is owed primarily to the techpriests they work with. While they don’t interact as much as other elements of the Imperium, and rarely on the battlefield; the chapter still regards them as worthy allies and of common objectives. The Rubicon With the return of Guilliman and the start of the Indomitus Crusade, a new rhetoric has entered the halls of the fortress monastery. Their practices of advancement vindicated with Cawls new inventions, a swirl of vigour has taken hold of the chapter and few are positioned to stop their now rampant pursuit of new practices and equipment. Entire companies were rotated out of active duty to cross the Rubicon together, seeking newfound power in a newfound form. Performing the surgery with Apothecaries rather than servitors, the chapter has managed to reduce failed implantations to just under twenty seven percent. But the losses have still been considerable, and ever vigilant recruiting methods have been needed to keep up. Thankfully, few marines see death as a deterrent; especially knowing their seed would be harvested immediately for future use. Battlefield Doctrine Where their strength and resolve was tested for millennia as the Agriguard, the Verdant Phoenix chapter has entered an era of refinement and reorganization that has endured for centuries. Historically their tactics were influenced heavily by the Red Talons, relying on bombardment and warmachines to face the brunt of the enemy, but since the blight and reformation these tactics have been built upon and specialized to suit a specific role. Simple and blind adherence to old wisdom is behind them, and the chapter has long been reevaluating each and every battlefield practice they once held dear. At its core, Verdant Phoenix battlefield doctrine surrounds Irea and its defense. As the chapter’s influence and resources have grown, other important worlds such as Ophelia have found themselves within its watchful guardianship and in turn shaped their methods of war. Due to Irea’s unique atmospheric asset, it is absolutely imperative that certain types of threats never make planetfall onto its agri worlds. Orks stand the most to gain from the local stimulant, but Tyranids also are considered potentially system ending threats. Of course the blight seared into the system’s history has left a mighty scar, but as the worlds have grown and become even more important and a similarly destructive event would have an even more devastating impact on the segmentum. As such, the system’s director has taken all efforts to obfuscate the system’s importance while the local armed forces have taken up a proactive method of eliminating threats that even arrive in nearby systems. At their center, the space marines of the Verdant Phoenix stand ready and waiting to strike at anything unfamiliar within thousands of lightyears. Deploying as full companies, often to threats not fully known until arrival, the chapter has slowly shifted to an organization of self sufficiency where each company can operate wholly autonomously. Traveling to, engaging in, and returning from conflicts must also be done quickly so as not to leave any threat unattended, and the chapter employs considerable support staff to maintain efficiency and speed. Traditionally, brief recon periods are followed by precise and relentless bombardment to make way for meticulously planned troop deployments, shattering any hope for cohesion and overpowering whatever resistance remains. These simple steps have been put to great effect over centuries, and the captains that coordinate them have learned to adapt them to any threat they are called to face. In all cases, the Verdant will always keep their marines as close to support assets as possible and heavily depend on vehicle transports and firepower to move in force. In newfound Primaris form and with the equipment and tactics that come with them, the chapter has embraced grav-tanks for rapid deployment from orbit post-bombardment. Additionally, each company fields one dedicated vanguard squad made up of the company's most veteran soldiers. These squads are often deployed pre-bombardment to gather intelligence and identify key targets as recon and early strike units. Often smaller conflicts can be resolved with their careful application alone, but they will often harass enemies into more favorable positions for precise orbital strike. While this recent change to their combat practices has taken some time to be fully realized, Verdant Phoenix companies have noted an increase of combat efficiency since employing widespread vanguard deployment. These tactics have proven consistently successful and easily adapted to suit new threats the chapter faces, but commanders are always wary of enemies ready for their common tactics and look for opportunities to experiment with new methods and strategies. Chapter Organization High Command Battle Companies Armoury Apothecarion Reclusiam Librarius Fortress Monastery Chapter Fleet “What do you think? Director Corrilan had intended for it to be a gift, bartered it away from some trader, Alano Duran I think was his name. Rough condition or course, but if I recall you Astartes like a challenge.” - Vao Golha, Irean Sector Steward [REDACTED] "You have my word, director, the system will never be without its protectors. Never." - Chapter Master Taigon Notable Members WIP History WIP