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As said in my vow on the ETL thread http://www.bolterandchainsword.com/index.p...2368&st=175 I am vowing a 5-man Assault Squad with a Rhino (Power fist, 3 Plasma pistols, Combat shield, Meltabomb, Pintle-mounted Storm bolter and Hunter-killer missile,) and a Contemptor Pattern Dreadnought (Heavy Conversion Beamer, Graviton Gun, Extra Armor, Searchlight, Carapace-mounted Cyclone Missile Launcher and Targeting Augury, from IA: Apocalypse 2nd Edition pages 24-25,) from Codex: Dark Angels of total value 526 points I will update later with a full break down if it is needed (let me know if it's needed.) Here are 3 pics of the units. Edit - I deleted links as Photobucket sucks!!! Sadly lost the three photos...

Marines Revenant Though not as prolific as the sons of Ultramar or the scions of Dorn, the Blood Angels too did usher into the era of the 2nd founding with a number of successors - and were the great angel of Baal to live still, his heart would surely be filled with pride at the sight of his sons. Few would refuse the aid of the Angels Encarmine, who so fiercely patrol the stars. The Angels Sanguine - though dark in their demeanour - still lend their hand to any and all who cry out for the mercy of the Emperor. Yet amongst the angel's sons, there have grown some chapters that - in dreadful ways - have come to resemble the ancestral Terran IXth Legion of pre-crusade myth. The Flesh Eaters and Blood Drinkers, draped in the finery of their progenitors and with immaculate records of service, still indulge in the ritualized consumption of blood and flesh, like the pale-clad warrior-fiends of old Terra did. The Flesh Tearers - so uncontrolled and unrefined in their anger - perhaps resemble those olden days the most, for far have they fallen in their degeneration of both body and mind. Even we of the Charnel Guard - that mysterious brotherhood of star-dwelling lords - step from our cryo-vaults to dispense great violence upon those that would seek to encroach upon the Emperor's domains. Most curious amongst these brotherhoods - both for their apparent wrath and their nobility - are perhaps those ivory-wrought cousins of the Marines Revenant. Of them I shall speak in these records, dear reader, so that the great duality of Sanguinius' blood and soul may become apparent - read then of the savage decrepitude of the origins that still beat in their hearts and that have become intertwined with the angel's teachings. Veteran-Sergeant Caraniel, Charnel Guard 2nd Company seconded to the Marines Revenant We saw them descend from the skies, born by roaring fires and engines of gleaming bone. Fine red markings had been painted upon their armaments and for a moment - the merest of moments - I was reminded of my days in the schola progenium, learning of the God-Emperor's saintly angels and their righteous fury. These were angels, yes, but born of the darkest hour. Tears of dark blood had been painted upon their helmets and funeral masks, and once the enemy approached, I witnessed not war - but slaughter. With bolter and chainsword they met the orks, and once the last bullet had been spent and the final tooth had flown off the chain, they resorted to the most ancient of bellicose implements. Armoured gauntlets went up and down, like a hammer striking the anvil, but instead of shaping iron they shattered bone and pulped meat until even the orks retreated with profound dread scrawled across their porcine faces. But the Pale Angels gave chase unlike any I have ever seen before or would ever see again. With their bare hands and blunted blades they tore into the xenos, until the last ork had been broken apart or ground beneath their threads. I would often dream of their ire - for ire it was. This was not the hot-headed berserk fury that I have seen amongst the Vlka Fenryka, nor was it the uncontrolled anger that would see the Flesh Tearers abandon us upon the killing fields of Praxaedes II - it was a cold and calculated thing, bent fully upon the target and its absolute and utter destruction. They descended upon pinions of black fire, weeping blood and garbed in fine ebony and ivory, yet on that day I saw them for what they were - the blood-soaked Revenant-Angels of our God-Emperor that resides upon Terra. Lord-Commissar Agatha Marainik, private writings Chapter Designation: Marines Revenant / col. "Revenants" Founding: 2nd Founding (Confirmed) Successors of: Blood Angels Successor Chapters: None confirmed, Charnel Guard suspected Number: 59 (Unconfirmed) Primarch: Sanguinius, the Great Angel of Baal Homeworld: Fleet-Based Chapter Allegiance: Imperium of Man (Fidelitas in Extremis) Colours: Cold White and Black Honour and Discipline As above, so below As within, so without Marines Revenant, Battle-Chant 888.m32 The Great Astropath Wars: Though history would remember little of this war, be it due to the simple decay and lack of transcription or the obfuscation through His holy Ordos, it is known through the recovered writings of several Astropath clades that the Marines Revenant had deployed during this engagement. We may never know what the purpose or aim of such a war was, if it had been a rebellion or just some ordinary trade-conflict, but what we do know thanks to the recollections of the Silver Skulls' extensive librarium is that not only did the Marines Revenant deploy to further Terra's interests in the conflict, but that their whole chapter acted as a brutal sledgehammer within the northern confines of the Segmentum Solar. The chapter refuses any inquiries as to its specific involvement in said conflict - which is highly unusual considering its otherwise quite forthcoming nature in collaborative efforts of historiography. One cannot be sure, but perhaps the conflict constitutes a mark of shame for the chapter, for it refers to the period as "The Days of Blackened Tears." ca. m34 The Pale Wasting: From beyond the Ghost Stars came a foul and dreadful terror unlike few that had thus far been visited upon the Imperium of Man. Though the true nature of said threat has been kept under the tightest of seals, it is known that a full twenty space marine chapters were destroyed in this conflict, and a dozen more would barely survive to fight another day. The Marines Revenant seconded a full four companies to the conflict - of which only thirty-seven battle-brothers would return to the fold of their chapter. ca. 200.m36 The Reign of Blood: Amongst the most outspoken critics of Vandire's increasing instability, the Marines Revenant would be one of the first Adeptus Astartes chapters to throw in their lot with the sermonist known as Sebastian Thor. Their proficiency in boarding actions and close-quarter engagements would prove to be invaluable during the many grueling Zone Mortalis actions that would mark out this era of conflict. One cannot help but question as to why the chapter would become such a fervent proponent of Thor, considering that it is known for its refusal of Ecclesiastical dogma and beliefs. Though softening in their rejection of faith in recent centuries, many a conflict has been made more complicated by the Marines Revenant's refusal to take orders from or firmly integrate alongside religiously adherent military factions of the Imperial war-machine, such as the Black Templars or the Adepta Sororitas. The origins of the Marines Revenant speak of their Father-Legions great internal duality: of the Savage and the Beatific. It is known that prior to the reunion of Sanguinius and his sons, the IXth Legion - informal designation "Revenant Legion" - had been known for an appaling sense of brutality upon the battlefield, oftentimes even resorting to acts of gruesome cannibalism following individual battles. So offensive had such behaviour been, that the Emperor and his generals had deliberately kept the legion apart from other forces and used them as a weapon of mass destruction that could rely on its own strength - or burn itself out in the process of war-making. What more, the legion had been known to mass-recruit the genetic dregs of Terra and beyond into its ranks - a practice that was met with frightening success, despite the arcane implantation methods inherent in the lineage of Sanguinius. The Great Angel would seek to amend this broken nature, cleanse it with his love and shackle it through discipline - a plan that would transform one of the most horrifying entities of the early Imperial war-machine into what can only be described as the epitome of the Astartes program. What had once been unsightly and the speech of nightmares, had become the red-clad, artistic vision of a bright imperial future. The future of the IXth legion would be forever changed, from dreadful beasts to be put to the blade to the great Idealis. Terrans and Baalites would be bound together in this new legion and the changes would last eternal for all that followed. Yet, following Sanguinius' death at the hands of thrice-cursed Horus, some of the chapters created from the legio Blood Angels would - to various degrees - return to rituals and cultural artefacts of their Terran past. The Blood Drinkers still carry one of the legion-icons of those dark days as their emblem - the Cup Sanguis, from which they still partake in ritual consumption of blood. The Flesh Eaters returned to the practice of mass-carnivorism of the enemy. None, however, would appear as such a distinct echo of the olden days as the Marines Revenant do - a much distorted echo, but one nonetheless. 230-419.m38 The Katheka Cleansing: Aided by elements of the Charnel Guard, the Raptors, the Dark Angels and several regiments of the Vostikhan Fusilliers, the Marines Revenant would be sent out to clear the way into the reaches of the Katheka Cluster. The chapter's willingness to use of their overactive Omophagea to great extents would provide the Raptors chapter with crucial intel and lead to the capture of key individuals - noted to have been of interest to the Dark Angels - as well as the swift elimination of separatist command structures. Together, the Charnel Guard and the Revenants would go on to break the Kathekan Separatists and raze their cities to ashes in a display of fury not uncommon amongst the children of Sanguinius. Severon, then-acting chapter master of the Raptors, is recorded as saying that never before had he seen such wanton destruction executed with such cold, methodical precision. With their morale broken, the Kathekan Separatists would swiftly capitulate and stand down. Following the required executions and population cleansings, the Marines Revenant are recorded as conducting extensive searches of separatist ships. As to what the purpose of this was can only be speculated, but it bears mention that many vessels would report depleted slave-holds in their underbellies following the sweeps - "The pale gods came, with tears of blood and armed with knives and saws and drills, to take our own and share with them their terrible divinity." 328.m39 The Descent of Ruin: Following a three decade long siege of the Fathrin system, xenos-enslaved pirates would be pushed back to the hive world of Khashan IIIb. Noted for its particularly ancient void-shields, the main hive would resist the approach of the Imperial Guard with tooth and nail, eventually drawing far more blood than had initially been allocated to the conflict. The reigning Lord-Commissar Agatha would request the aid of any and all military forces within the vicinity of Khashan. Elements of the Marines Revenant's 1st, 3rd and 7th company would siftly come to their aid, following a resupply run. After a successful infiltration of the hive via veteran elements of the chapter, the void shields would fall and trigger a full invasion of the structure. Lord-Commissar Agatha is noted as recounting assault marines carried by wings of steel - now identified as the chapter's equivalent of the more traditional Sanguinary Guard - descending upon the spires and visiting terrible destruction upon the orkoid leadership. She would later on describe them as shriekmawed, blood-soaked things - a far cry from the usually angelic appearence of such formations. The acting captain - his name remains unrecorded - informed the Lord-Commissar that "Angels have always descended to visit terrible and bloody punishment upon those that oppose their creator. Why then, shouldn't they have hands daubed in blood?" 799.m41 A Pale King falls, a Pale King rises: Following a protracted engagement with the Black Legion, the reigning chapter master Vladan would succumb to his wounds within the core bunker complex of Harthîn's World. Though the enemy had been destroyed in a pyrrhic victory, the present elements of the Adeptus Mechanicus noted an unusual irritability amongst the Marines Revenant. Several apothecaries and senior individuals of the chapter descended into the complex and locked the gate behind themselves - much to the protests of their allies. It is only later recoveries of the bunker's vid-feed via Inquisitorial agents that the purpose of said incursion is understood. Several acting captains are observed as they ingest significant portions of Vladan's nervous tissue and brain-stem. Following several minutes of silence, one captain - noted as a certain Captain Sentini - is seen to identify himself as "the Pale King risen anew." Much as had been rumoured about the terran IXth Legion, the Marines Revenant engage in ritualistic cannibalisation of their seniors' brain-tissue for the purposes of preserving knowledge, combat-efficiency and experience. It is thus no surprise that a battle-brother by the name of Vladan is identified as the chapter's master a mere two years following this incident. The chapter is noted henceforth as peculiar in practice and worthy of continued observation, despite no immediate threat to Imperial safety. The Marines Revenant are curious in that they have returned to many of the practices that originated in their terran predecessors and - according to history - made them such an efficient, if blunt force. They are known to ingest nominal amounts of nerve-tissue from their fallen officers, thus disseminating knowledge and even personalities amongst their own - a practice that, while distasteful, has shown to provide the chapter with a gleaming cadre of officers, leaders and even tech-marines. Further on, the chapter is alleged to have engaged in the practice of mutant-implantation in times of dire needs - an allegation that has been met with deadly force if voiced in their presence. This terran heritage can even be seen in their demeanour and garb. Their plate is a cold, pallid white, hemmed with black and though it is bereft of the old ritualistic blood markings, it carries the ubiquitous tears of blood that have come to be one of the chapter's visual hallmarks. They are as beatific as any sons of Sanguinius, but they are noted for a particular gauntness of features and a particularly high presence of Haemolacria amongst sub-sections of their battle-brothers - a medical condition that results in tears being partially composed of blood. Still, much of Sanguinius' teaching can be seen in the finery of their plate and armaments. Though not as ostentatious as those of the Angels Resplendent or the Blood Angels, they carry an understated air of quality and care of their own. As for codex-adherence, it is difficult to state anything with certainty. The Marines Revenant have been observed to field the full complement of ten companies, though the count of space marines present within them is estimated to far exceed the usually allowed complement of 1000 individuals - an oddity that has thus far been disregarded due to the chapter's nature as a crusading force. They seem to readily accept the wisdoms taught within the Codex, amalgamating it with Sanguinius' own wisdom and their own ways of war and thought. Apart from that, not much can be gleaned externally when it comes to their own chapter-cult. It is clear that they - like many chapters of their founding - venerate the Emperor as an apex creator, yet also fundamentally regard him as a mortal man. It is their veneration of Sanguinius as a martyr that is most apparent. The chapter seems to place a disproportionately high focus on their progenitor within their culture, idealizing him as both teacher and sacrifice alike. Old legion records insinuate that following the Siege of Terra and the interment of Sanguinius upon Baal, many remaining Terran elements of the legion would congregate around each other, unsure as to their future within the greater scheme of things and worried that they would be fully subsumed now that the careful balance of their father had been removed from the legion's bosom. Raldoron - then-Archein of Wisdom and legion master - would be met by a praetor under the name of Vladan - then-Archein of Wrath and Terran by birth - and met with a proposal. Those Terrans - and Baalites who found themselves somehow unfit amongst their own brethren - would form their own chapter and practice what little wisdom their origins had given them, yet exhult Sanguinius' teachings so that they may never fall back into the olden paths. It would be the rebirth of tools and methods that had no place amongst the Baalites but would surely be useful in the dark days to come. After long deliberation with the other Archeins, Raldoron would allow such an endeavour, but only under the provision that the now-born Marines Revenant would never forget the lessons Sanguinius taught them in his life - and his death. ---------------------- Hey everyone! So, I've long been thinking about opening a thread that is focused more on the 40k side of things as I have felt my interests branch out of the heresy lately. A lot of this will be focused on my Homebrew Blood Angel force - the Marines Malevolent - but there will also be Killteam and Necromunda stuff in here, as well as Necrons, once the new stuff is released! I hope everone will enjoy the new offerings while I search for more of the Omega and Blood Drop transfers from the BA Transfer sheet :)

Revenant Children: Warcry – From the dark, we arise! Founded - Circa 34th millennium Successors of – Blood Angels Primarch – Sanguinius Home World – Cosimar Specialties – Close Combat, Quick Assaults with Bikes and Jump-Packs, Outflanking, Overwhelming Force, Psychological Warfare Home World: A feudal world located deep within Segmentum Obscurus, Cosimar is a world of short days and long nights, with its twin suns being eclipsed by a titanic moon and the Warp Rift known as “The Bloodstorm”. Many consider the planet to be a doomed world, for the planet’s proximity to a Warp Rift make it a prime target for being invaded by the daemonic forces of Chaos. But the planet is tightly secured not only by the Astartes Chapter that closely watches it, but also by the Knightly Orders that watch over the planet and its people. Combat Doctrine and Tactics: Like all Sons of Sanguinius, the Revenant Children favor fast assaults and close combat, closing the gap between them and their foes with the roaring thunder of Jump-Packs and Biker Squads, delivering swift and merciless death upon the enemies of mankind. Unlike their brothers however, the Children favor a more subdued and subtle approach to warfare; much like their cousins from the Raven Guard, the Revenant Children prefer to hide in the shadows, striking hard and fast before the enemy has a chance to react before fading back into the night, with quick raids at enemy supply lines and encampments being a preferred tactic among these descendants of the Angel’s bloodline. The Revenant Children are also experts in the art of psychological warfare, believing that a terrified foe is much easier to subdue, and thus resulting in less risks and casualties when confronting a mentally unbalanced enemy. For this reason, the Children leave behind the hanged bodies of those who fell by their blades wherever they passed by, a simple yet effective means of causing perturbation and disturbance within the hearts of their enemies. Thanks to their favored method of warfare, comparisons have been drawn between the Revenant Children and the traitor 8th Legion, the Night Lords, a fact that greatly disturbs and infuriates the Chapter, for the Children are not the sadists of the 8th Legion, seeing their use of fear as measured and controlled, a means to an end and not an end in and of itself. Culture and Beliefs: Cosimar is a world of rich in culture and tradition. Cosimarans are a superstitious folk, believing in the might and divinity of the God Emperor, in fact, it is their pious and religious culture that first drew the ire of the Imperial Fists Legion during their initial conquest of the planet, yet it is this piety that kept them safe from the depredations of the Warp for millennia; the faith and belief of Cosimarans make them strong and dauntless, making them perfect recruits for the Revenant Children. The superstitions of Cosimar have been passed onto the Chapter, despite the several layers of hypno-indoctrination that are involved in the making of a Space Marine. The Revenant Children fully believe in the divinity of the God Emperor, trusting in him as a merciful deity of forgiveness and repentance, and having faith in their conviction that the Emperor forgives and redeems all, be they loyal subject, treacherous scum or even xeno scum or daemon. The people of Cosimar believe that the soul of a being resides in the bloodstream, and that, by dying a bloodless death, the soul of a being can achieve the forgiveness of the Emperor in the afterlife, no matter how heinous and awful their sins were in life. To this end the Revenant Children seek to cause quick and bloodless deaths upon their foes, seeing it not only as a way of honoring their foes in death but also as a way of redeeming themselves in life. The Revenant Children believe themselves to be cursed in nature, viewing the twin curses of Sanguinius’ gene-seed as a damnation brought upon them by the God Emperor, a divine punishment for the Primarch’s failure in defeating the Arch-Traitor during the Siege of Terra. The Children believe that, by helping their foes find redemption in death, they too can be redeemed from the curse of the Red Thirst and Black Rage. Chapter Organization: The Revenant Children are divided into 10 Companies, each divided into ten Squads comprised of ten Space Marines plus vehicle and dreadnought auxiliaries; at least that is what they claim, for the Chapter is rarely ever at full strength. The first Company of the Revenant Children is formed entirely out of specialist warriors known as the "Vânători Roșii", the third through seventh companies are each formed of 5 Tactical Squads, 2 Assault Squads, 2 Devastator Squads and one specialist Biker Squad known as "The Scarlet Outriders". The eight, ninth and tenth Companies are formed entirely out of Devastator, Assault and Scout Squads respectively. The First Company: The first Company of the Revenant Children are referred to as "Vânători Roșii" - translated from Cosimaran into "Red Hunters" - named after the Chapter of the same name, whom alongside the Inquisition's Ordo Hereticus saved the Revenant Children from complete obliteration during the events known as "The War on Tsathoggua". The Vânători Roșii are experienced warriors in their own right, having honed their skills for centuries of service to the Imperium. Specializing in wielding electrified whips known as "Cosimaran Power Scourges" and flamer weaponry, the warriors of the first Company pride themselves in delivering a bloodless death upon their foes, a sign of high respect and honor among the folk of Cosimar, the Vânători believe that no foe is beyond redemption, and seek to claim their quarry in a clean kill as to ensure that they can find redemption in death for the sins committed whilst alive. The Vânători eschew the use of Terminator Armor, deeming it too bulky and sluggish for their favored method of fighting, instead preferring to equip themselves with Jump-Packs and camo-cloaks known as "Rochie Sanguină" to get the drop on the enemy, striking hard and fast before fading back into the shadows. The Scarlet Outriders: These specialist Biker Squads can be found in singular squads across the second to seventh companies of the Revenant Children. Unlike their battle brothers who engage the foe at the forefront of an assault, the Outriders engage the enemy from the flanks, outmaneuvering their foes and attacking at lightning speeds, making use of the extra speeds granted to them by their bikes to close the distance quickly and deliver the full might and wrath of the sons of Sanguinius where the enemy least expects it. Tbe Varcolacs: Also known as "The Blood Drunk", these warriors were once considered outcasts within their own Chapter, Astartes who could not control the cravings of the Red Thirst and thusly greedily indulged in it at every opportunity that they could find, sowing terror wherever they went. Though once hated and reprimanded these Blood Drunk were officially sanctioned by Vlach Drakul once he rose to the position of Chapter Master, his pragmatic and unscrupulous nature seeing the value in these warriors as a weapon of fear, thus christening them as "The Varcolacs", named after the legendary monsters that are said to plague the northern continents of Cosimar. The Varcolacs are an antithesis to their own Chapter, instead of opting for the mobility and speed offered by Jump-Packs and Bikes these warriors prefer the bulk and protection of Terminator war-plate, and in stark contradiction to the Vânători Roșii, who honor and redeem their foes in death with a bloodless kill, the Varcolacs seek to humiliate their foes with as messy and bloody a kill as possible, opting for Lightning Claws as their weapon of choice to disembowel their prey. The Sanguinary Guard: ... The Death Company: ... Chapter Gene-Seed & Recruitment: Chapter Fleet: Notable Revenant Children:

For the LASC 2019 challenge, I start here this thread, to write down and further develop my own Dark Angel's Successor Chapter, the Wings of Dawn. THE WINGS OF DAWN Dark Angels Successor Chapter CHAPTER INDEX DESIGNATION: The Wings of Dawn, after being renamed from their original designation, The Light Keepers HERALDRY: A shinning blade, stabbing down, and with crimson red wings at its sides BATTLE CRY: Fiat lux! (Let there be light!) PROGENITOR: The Dark Angels FOUNDING: Year 581.M37, part of the XXIII "Sentinel" Founding REFOUNDING: Year 996.M37, with the chapter's new designation being given official recognition in the year 010.M38 by the High Lords of Terra CODEX ADHERENCE: Codex-compliant, with minor organizational deviations CLASSIFICATION: Homeworld-based MAIN SECTOR: Eastern Fringe MAIN SYSTEM: Orientis Lux (Easternmost Light) HOME-WORLD: Alcides, at the far edge of the Orientis Lux System's habitable zone MAIN STRONGHOLD: The Sigmalite Fortress CHAPTER MASTER: Grand Master Zerephiel CURRENT STATUS: Half-Strength, ∼600 Active Battle Brothers STRATEGIC FOCUS: Infantry Formations, Combat Squad Deployment, Plasma Weaponry, Urban and Enclosed Quarters Combat SUMMARY Founded from the gene-seed of the First Legion, and by decree from the High Lords of Terra, to hold a line in the farthest reaches of the Eastern Fringe. Destined to stand fast, and to sacrifice themselves to the last man, in order to stop a great evil that would emerge in the following millennia from within the black depths of the unknown cosmos. This chapter has lived through a tragic history of defiance against a self-brought disaster and against a fate thought to be inescapable; dying in their original designation, and then rising again into their current one, to challenge the predictions from Holy Terra, and to carry on the fight against the enemies of the Imperium beyond its own foresight and wisdom. CHAPTER HISTORY THE ORIENTIS LUX SYSTEM In the Eastern Fringe, beyond the Scourge Stars, to the galactic southeast of the great warpstorm known as the Hadex Anomaly, and near the edge of the known galaxy, lies a mono-star system called Orientis Lux. It was discovered in the year 147.M36, during the Age of Apostasy, by an explorer named Alaer-Khan; also known to imperial records as Alaer the Vaerlite. The heir to a long line of Rogue Traders, which dated back to the late M34, and master of the starship called the Semper Vera. A Conquest-Class Star Galleon from the early days of the Imperium. Per the Warrant of Trade granted to him, Alaer the Vaerlite seeked to push the boundaries of the known galaxy, venturing beyond the light of the Astronomican and into the perilous region known as the Eastern Fringe. There, and after having pushed themselves near to the end of their resources and resolve, the crew of the Semper Vera found themselves trapped in the pull of a gravitational anomaly which dragged the star galleon towards a particular system previously unknown to imperial records. One composed of four planets, all in far orbit around a five thousand million years old, main sequence star. The starship was only freed from this pull as it finally entered through the edge of the system. The effect itself vanishing shortly after, with no trace left of the anomaly that could be registered. Still, by then the prospect of exploring this new found corner of the galaxy was enough to distract them all from the strange events that had taken place. It managed to rekindle the fire in the crew’s spirits, and to drive Alaer-Khan and his men forward into the unknown. It was past the cold zone of the system and beyond the dead worlds trapped within it; at the far edge of the habitable zone, that they found the one planet ―to them― worthy of claim. The reward for their perseverance and their faith, as they saw it. A grey and red world of rock and ice, which held the promise of new colonies for the expansion of the great Imperium of Man. In honor of the bright light of the system’s star, as it shone as a lonely beacon in the great black of the Eastern Fringe; as well as in remembrance of the weird chance by which he had been drawn to it, Alaer the Vaerlite named the system Orientis Lux. The High-Gothic translation for Easternmost Light. The planet itself was named Alcides, after his ancestor. The first in his bloodline, who had won the Emperor’s favor, and had been the original recipient of his family’s Warrant of Trade, by the decree of Holy Terra. THE PLANET ALCIDES This terrestrial planet is one of the four worlds that orbit around the singular star at the center of the Orientis Lux system. It is located nearest to it, yet still at the cold far end of the system’s habitable zone. It is a dangerous world of grey and red rock, with a freezing weathers, large ocean masses, and a great number of ice formations scattered at various levels of depth beneath the terrestrial crust. It’s skies are constantly covered by the passing waves of the many great auroras of green light that are caused by the particular radiation of the system’s star. Although lacking in non-oceanic flora, its atmosphere and abundance of water have been sufficient for the planet to have developed a biosphere with a sustainable fauna, which exists in the deep oceans, as well as both at a terrestrial and a subterrestrial level; with a large number of species apparently evolved for subterrestrial environments, most likely correlating to the effect of the planet’s lengthy rotation, which gives Alcides a solar cycle equivalent to roughly eight times that of Holy Terra. Alcides was discovered by the Rogue Trader Alaer the Vaerlite in the year 149.M36, just two years after his discovery of the Orientis Lux system in the year 147.M36; and named after the first of his bloodline, the Rogue Trader Alcides-Khan, who received his family’s Warrant of Trade in the early years of M34. Being the only planet in the system not classifiable ―at the time, at least― as a dead world, Alcides was almost immediately targeted for surveyance and colonization. It’s surface, atmosphere, and biosphere, providing Alaer’s crew with all the required resources and conditions needed for adequate terraforming. Throughout the first few hundred years since planetfall, Alcides was the subject of various exploration missions meant to catalogue its topography and geography, as well as its fauna and its various weather phenomena. The information gathered made it clear that this was a dangerous but promising world. One that would require the presence of a standing armed force to fend off its various life forms, and the adoption of a mostly subterranean system of colonies in order to house a prosperous population, that could grow into numbers useful to the Imperium of Mankind. It was by the second half of M36, and through great efforts, that Alcides managed to become a prominent world in the Eastern Fringe. It’s citizens arriving from various other imperial planets from the nearby systems ―including Macragge itself―, to contribute to the expansion of the vast underground network of colonies which had managed to grow and spread through and across the planet. THE FELLHAE GENERATORIUMS Due to the environmental characteristics of Alcides, humanity faced a few problems with its colonization. In fact, it would not be far from the truth to say that, even in the 41st Millennium, the planet surface has only been partially terraformed by the Imperium, to truly sustain human life at Terra-standards. This is a world that was found by its discoverers to be one mostly deprived of non-oceanic flora. Great mountain ranges covered in ice, and deep chasms devoid of light or warmth were plentiful, but within them there was little to be harvested as resources for a thriving civilization of the size that the Imperium would have hoped to create. The fauna that had managed to evolve in this distant point of the known universe, had adapted to these conditions, in many different ways. Acclimating to lives under the ocean depths, down the dark recesses of the planet's fragmented crust, or inside the very upper mantle that covered the planet's core. Humanity had to follow a similar evolutionary strategy, by farming non-surface crops, mining for deep minerals, and by developing cities that themselves dug deep into the ground of Alcides, or that otherwise supported themselves under the powerful oceans that spread across it. Hives whose infrastructure lay mostly deep underground or underwater, with great and jagged spires managing to pierce beyond the surface; to house those deserving —or able—, to claim them. This way of life was aided, though, by a specific combination of phenomena that the first settlers of Alcides found in their new homeworld. First, the existance a peculiar form of emulsion found in most ice formations, ocean waters, and underground ice caps and water reservoirs across the entire planet. Second, a particular genus of beasts that spread through most of this world, which the first humans to settle it named the Fellhae. Ferocious creatures of great size, agility and cunning. Predators that dominated their ecosystems. Well adapted to last long periods of time without food, to survive and hunt in total darkness, to resist and navigate themselves in deep waters, and to dig their way through both solid and igneous rock. This, due to a trait commonly shared by all the various species and subspecies of their genus: The ability to feed off of the Alcidean emulsion, and metabolize it into a special form of high-yield plasma, which they could use to perform all of these feats. An ability that humanity was quick to learn how to harvest for its own efforts, converting the metabolized plasma into fuel and ammunition for powering almost any STC-Based and non-STC-Based machinery and weaponry, that they could ever require to conquer and control the planet. A form of energy beyond the capabilities of any other available to them through conventional means, in the far edge of space. The construction of what were named the Fellhae Generatoriums, began. Soon, they were located all over and inside of Alcides. They allowed the settlers to speed up the construction of cities and manufactorums to an unprecedented degree; and allowed them to master the processes of the Fellhae to cut through the planet's upper mantle and create new paths, even into the worlds outer core, were even more emulsion lay waiting to be harvested. This then led to the creation of a great system of interconnected roads and planetary defense outposts, stretching in between and around the various hive cities of Alcides. A feat of planning, architecture and engineering, called simply by the Alcideans as the great underground network. THE UNDERGROUND NETWORK The great Underground Network began construction in the year 304.M36. The planetary government, having completed sufficiently advanced stages of planetary exploration, terraforming and urbanization, by that time, now required a better and safer way to interconnect the new, yet sprawling hive cities of Alcides. Both with it each other, and with the various Fellhae Generatoriums that had been created during those first years of colonization. This network complex began humbly, as little more than a system of above and underground roads. It quickly began to take a much more relevant role in the urban structure of the planet, however, as each hive city continued to grow downwards into the planet's mantle, as new emulsion repositories and new migration patterns for various strains of the Fellhae were identified. The network had to become heavily fortified , and its supply routes had to expand and incorporate redundancies and defensive choke points at various places. This, so as to ensure safeguards against the Alcidean indigenous wildlife. Aptly classified as a peril to the general populace, as it was —and still remains to this day— perfectly capable of carving paths across permacrete and steel, just as easily as through water and rock. With over a thousand years of accelerated progress, granted by the abundance of energy from the large generatoriums that continued to be constructed with each new stage of this expansion, the Alcideans found themselves without fear or restrain for their own progress. Hungry for more resources, their drive and previous success emboldened them to seek expansion through the upper mantle, past the transitional barrier of the planet, and into the lower mantle. Closer and closer into the world's external core, where more emulsion lay in waiting. This, done by the creation of the crown jewel of the great Underground Network: the Sigmal. First constructed in 456.M37, and having taken an entire generation of Alcideans to finish, the Sigmal was an unprecedented feat for the inhabitants of the entire system. Not in itself a city, but rather a fairly autonomous industrial and mining complex of titanic proportions, housing millions of people and reaching all the way from the surface of the planet, to the edge of its lower mantle. Directly and indirectly lined into, and connected to, each single generatorium in Alcides, this colossal structure managed to feed off of the entire Underground Network, so as to gather the energy required to push into the deepest possible recesses of the planet's inner structure. Something it began to do for the first time soon upon being completed, in the year 531.M37. Fifty years, to the day, of the first vision of the Great Omen, as recorded by the Imperium. THE GREAT OMEN On the day the grand engines of Sigmal of Alcides were started, a vision doom was witnessed by various members of the psychic eye of the Imperium's central bureaucracy; the Astra Telepathica. A storm of images that assailed the minds of many sanctioned psykers, driving a great number of them to madness and death, and scarring those few who survived it for the rest of their days. Images depicting the destruction of the galaxy under the crushing might of a tidal wave of searing light. One that surged forth from a crack in the eternal black at the fringe of the known universe, and looked to wash over endless worlds with a roaring hunger for the souls of mankind. Only to be reigned in soon after the moment of its birth by a blackened wall, formed from the corpses of a thousand men. Several records of these predictions were taken to different Terran archives, where they still remain today as a historical testament to the events that followed. All of them recounting the harrowing descriptions given by the dozens of surviving sanctioned psykers that suffered the onslaught of energy that the vision came infused with. Despite the imprecise nature of the vision, the coincidence of the words spoken by those who received it, and of the mental wounds and physical scars left on them by the event, worked in favor of the Astra Telepathica, managing to give just enough credence to this prophecy of doom from beyond the known stars, so as to move the High Lords of Terra to action. A half a decade of study since that fateful day led to a hard earned consensus from the part the Astra Telepathica, that the doom told of by the images would come in from a place on the far edge of the Eastern Fringe. Though the nature of this evil could not be determined with accuracy, a point from which to confront it and the way for the Imperium to do so, could be decided upon to a degree. The Orientis Lux system was then chosen by the wisdom of the prophets who witnessed the coming of this evil, as the line of defense against this evil. A thousand warriors were then ordered into creation by the High Lords of Terra, to hold that line with their lives; laying them down to create the corpse wall that would save the Imperium. FOUNDING OF THE CHAPTER By the year 581.M37, and half a century after the members of the Astra Telepathica managed to decide on a suitable course of action against the Great Omen, the chapter had been founded. One thousand warriors of Terran stock, bred in the vaults of Mars, and from the hallowed gene-seed of the First Legion. One more chapter, born into the tumult of the later 37th millennium, as part of the 23rd Founding. The decision to create these warriors was taken quickly by the High Lords of Terra, as the word of the Emperor came often to them through those hard times with commands to bolster the defenses of the Imperium by the creation of new astartes. As if blessed by the very will of the Emperor, the process then of creating the zygotes needed to breed these warriors evolved with surprisingly few complications, and produced its results fairly quickly as well. The only point of contention during the creation of the chapter was at the moment of deciding what gene-seed was to be used for the arduous task at hand. Stable genetic material was needed, as the events of the Cursed Founding were still ever present in the minds of all. A concern made all the more grievous by the purpose that this one chapter had as the cause for its creation, in the first place. The gene-seed of the Thirteenth Legion was considered, due to its stability, and the impressive results of its use, as they could be tracked back through the history of the Imperium. The gene-seed of the Seventh Legion was considered as well, from a desire to see the world of Alcides and the Orientis Lux system both fortified to deadly perfection, as a way to ensure the defense of the galaxy against such dreaded and unknown threats as those seen in the Great Omen. In the end, though, it was the gene-seed of the First Legion that was chosen. The High Lords of Terra, coming to see that the purpose for the creation of the chapter was not to be other than the fulfillment of the prophecy foretold by the members of the Astra Telepathica. No other genetic heritage available to them —they realized—, would be better suited to creating a chapter such as this. Fated to stoically await their own end at the edge of the galaxy, through the millennia, and safeguard mankind at the highest possible cost. On the year 583.M37, the chapter was given its name. The Light Keepers. And, with weapons and armor befitting their task, taken from the vaults of Mars, they embarked on their ships and departed the home of mankind for the world of Alcides, to claim it as their own to defend. THE CLAIMING OF ALCIDES In the year 585.M37, the cruisers and battle barges that carried the Light Keepers to the far side of the galaxy were first spotted entering the Orientis Lux system. Their arrival had been hailed by heralds of the Imperium for some years by then, as the coming of a great force with which humanity would do battle against the darkness that stretched beyond the great star that shone at the center of the system. These warriors were then celebrated by the people of Alcides, albeit with cautious joy. Seen by most of the hivers as a blessing of fire and wrath, arriving to set up a bastion for the great Imperium, with which to protect them from the dangers of the beasts that roamed through the earth and the water all around them. Seen, at the same time, by the planetary government, to be the embodiment of the end of times for their world and their way of life. Knowing full well the law of the universe. That they would have to subject themselves as vassals to the astartes, and relinquish unto them their homes, and their lives. All for a purpose surely understood only by the High Lords of Terra and the astartes themselves. And that is exactly what they did. Their ships descended on Alcides on a bright day, at the end of the year 585.M37, and from within came forth the thousand warriors that would turn this industrious hive world into a homeworld for the angels of the Emperor's wrath. An army of holy warriors, led by battle brother Elsheim Einheart, their first chapter master. Armed both with powerful weapons, and knowledge of the war to come, and ready to devote themselves to the task of securing Alcides for the good of the Imperium. By Imperial decree, and the authority given to him by the will of the Emperor, Einheart stood before the planetary government and claimed their fealty as vassals to his own will. The lives of their people would now serve the astartes, as loyal workers and hallowed recruits. Their homes would belong to the astartes, for them to protect and defend. Their enemies would be the astartes's enemies, to devastate without hesitation or mercy. One by one, then, the companies of the chapter marched from the seat of government that resided at the heart of the city of Vaerlides, and into the Sigmal. Having recognized the value of this grand design; and of the potential it held for them as the planet's vastest generatorium, a conduit to the depths of the world's core were the greatest pools of energy resided. Its halls, its defenses, and the might of its engines, were all claimed by the chapter as their own seat of power. Turned by their command, from a marvel of industry, into something greater. A fortress. The great fortress, which they named the Sigmalite, and from which they would then oversee their new homeworld, and prepare for the doom of all Alcides. THE SIGMALITE FORTRESS, THE SIGNS OF DOOM, & THE COVENANT OF VAERLIDES It took little time for the battle brothers of the chapter to begin their work towards making Alcides a true bastion for the defense of the Imperium. By the power of their authority as angels of the Emperor's wrath, they assumed direct control over most defenses, resources, and points of industry across the entire Underground Network. Factory quotas of production were filled almost completely with requisitions for weapons and armor, and the Fellhae Generatoriums began to be tapped and taxed heavily, so as to channel their energy into these endeavors. The surface, the oceans, and the mantle of Alcides began to be adopted as hunting and training grounds. The fellhae beasts of this world proving deadly and formidable enough as opponents to the warriors of the chapter, so as to lead them chapter into crafting various training exercises and holy battle rites around the constant threat of their existence. From the halls inside the Sigmal, Grand Master Einheart oversaw these operations personally. Rapidly transforming this frontier world into a fortified one, and the grand design of the Sigmal itself into a monastery worthy of the war to come. Its machinery and its purpose changing as much as the rest of Alcides, by the presence of the astartes. What soon followed this powerful burst of rapid change, was chaos. And, by the end of the first decade since the arrival of the chapter, the first signs of the incoming doom began to show. Bound by the law of the Imperium, as manifested through the word of the High Lords of Terra, the inhabitants of Alcides had no choice but to bend to the will of the astartes. Despite their work in boosting the planet's production and in giving its inhabitants a newfound sense of purpose inside the known galaxy, and despite their hand in reducing the dangers posed by the dreaded fellhae beasts that constantly assaulted the generatoriums, the fact remained that the planetary government was ever more resentful of the control exerted by these warriors from Holy Terra. With many more citizens adding their voices to this resentment as the years went by, and as more of Alcides was claimed for the efforts of preparing for a war that no one knew was coming. One that no one knew they had to prepare for at all. With tensions rising slowly and silently into a veritable fever pitch, a time soon came when those disgruntled inhabitants of Alcides finally would decide to act against the battle brothers of the Light Keepers chapter. The spark of rebellion was ignited in the later part of the year 596.M37, and as the surviving records of the chapter would later tell, this was the inciting act that opened the way for the Doom of Alcides to come forth. An act of defiance fueled by its corrupting influence. Fringe groups turned into organized movements by the hidden support of the planetary government from the hive city of Vaerlides, began to sabotage the Fellhae Generatoriums in the farthest reaches of the planet. Targeting first the hive city of Orsides, and later the hive city of Leanansides, both by rerouting their energy distribution through improvised conduits to create strategically placed stockpiles of refined emulsion, and by halting production altogether in carefully selected factories throughout the cities inner sectors. The consequence of these actions being an artificially generated surge of bestial attacks along the northern and western regions of the Underground Network. Through careful and insidious coordination with co-conspirators inside the command structure of the planetary defense force, this all led to what would later be referred to as the False Migration; a period of over two years of attacks against undefended outposts that would force the Light Keepers on a stretched march across the planet. A task that would put their strength as a warring force to the test, as their own logistical and weapons manufacturing capabilities were hindered by the acts of the saboteurs. The attacks across the planet and the need for new arms and munitions for the task of pacifying the bestial hordes that were at every gate and outpost in the northern and western hemispheres of Alcides, pushed Grand Master Einheart in the year 598.M37 to make the decision of commanding the greatest source of energy and industry still available to the chapter. The machinery that was at the heart of the Sigmalite Fortress. The only drills and refineries that could push through the upper mantle of the planet to reach its outer core, and tap into the large emulsion repositories that were known to reside there. These sources of energy gave the Light Keepers a way to bypass the organized and planet-wide acts of sabotage that the planetary government had enacted, and resume the manufacturing of weapons and munitions needed to win back the home-world from the beasts. With this, and within a few months of arduous battle, the False Migration was ended, and the insidious acts of the planetary dissenters were laid bare. Still, it would take a whole other year of conflict for the chapter to put the last of the known rebels to the sword, and even more time to guide the planet back into a semblance of order, and to bring its infrastructure back to the levels it once had. All tasks achieved, not just through the use of force to crush the surviving saboteurs and to quell dissenting rhetoric in the hive cities, but also through the use of diplomacy to bring to heel the citizens of each rebellious sector that had once harbored those who had decided to pick up arms against the astartes. Grand Master Einheart, suspecting the hand of inescapable fate at play in the speed and willingness of many inhabitants of Alcides to stand against the chosen sons of the Emperor of Mankind, came to the conclusion that purging this world of rebels and traitors alone —noble a task though it could be—, would eventually just play into the grand designs of the incoming doom. Another approach, then, had to be taken. With that in mind, the Grand Master, along with a personal retinue composed of his chief librarian, his reclusiarch, and the first squad of the first company, marched upon the halls of the planetary government in Vaerlides; carrying with him the heads of the fallen leaders of the rebels from the other hive cities. Knowing they could not stand against these warriors, the old rulers of Alcides were forced to agree to a meeting. And, after a week of discussions and negotiations, Einheart finally revealed to the planetary government some of the truth of the vision of the Doom of Alcides, witnessed by the Astra Telepathica so many decades ago; as well as his need for the planet to stand alongside the chapter to face the evil that was coming. At the end of said conversations, with the old rulers of Alcides understanding that there could be no opposing the astartes, and the Grand Master understanding that peace and unity before the doom to come was better than war and strife, an agreement was made between both sides. A pact named by imperial records as the Covenant of Vaerlides, by which the inhabitants of Alcides swore their allegiance to the astartes. Their lives never again to be spent in confrontation to their actions, but rather laid willingly before the Light Keepers, in perpetual serfdom, so as to aid them in their preparations for the coming destruction that they would confront in the name of the whole of humanity. THE DOOM OF ALCIDES The 6th century of the 37th millennium ended with peace restored to the distant world of Alcides. By virtue of the covenant entered into by the planetary government and the Grand Master of the Light Keepers, the astartes now found themselves able to cease most of their year-long hunt for rebels. The task of dispending justice to the final few of the dissentors that hid in the vast stretches of the great Underground Network fell on the neophytes of the tenth company. At last, the attention of chapter could be placed once again on their true mission, and they could resume their preparations for the real war to come. Sadly, the entire conflict would still have started the battle-brothers on their final steps towards the doom of the planet. The signs of what was to come had first been in the influence of this coming doom having been present in the twisted minds of otherwise loyal servants of the Imperium. But, these early signs had been invisible to the astartes then, and had managed to rouse little more than a minor sense of suspicion; leaving nothing but a lingering silent question in the back of the Grand Master's mind alone, before fading away. The traitorous flame that inspired so many to take up arms against the chapter had been fanned by this invisible hand, and now its design had served its purpose. Despite the war for the peace of Alcides having been won, and despite the industry of the planet having been placed once again in the service of the war effort of the astartes, Grand Master Einheart had been led to make a series of choices that —although innocent enough at first glance—, had all been instrumental to the downfall of his entire chapter. Through their crisis, the Light Keepers had found a way to harvest enough energy and materials so as to produce enough weapons to be able face planetary scale hordes of beasts, as well millions upon millions of adversaries, with little logistical and manufacturing support beyond the generatoriums, foundries and armories of their own fortress-monastery. Even with the entirety of Alcides slowly resuming their tithes to them in energy and production quotas, the need for energy and manufacturing autonomy that was made evident by the events of the past conflict was something that had shaken Grand Master Einheart to his core. The engines of the Sigmal, inside the deeper chambers of the Sigmalite Fortress, had thus been awakened, never to rest again. Not until the planet was torn asunder, and the confidence that both the alcideans and the astartes had in the control they thought they held over their planet through their technology had been proven ill placed. For the span of many generations the engines of the Sigmal continued their run. The great machinery of the crown jewel of the Underground Network continued to bite down, deeper and deeper into the outer core of Alcides. Searching ever more for higher refined emulsion with which to power a veritable legion, if need be. And, for almost four hundred years, the chapter knew prosperity. Growing into a war machine that would go on to crush the enemies of the Imperium in the far reaches of the known galaxy. With many wars, spanning the entire second half of the 37th millenium, ending in glorious victory for the Light Keepers. With more and better methods of war being honed with each passing victory. All of it in preparation for the one war that they continued to wait for, with their vigilant eyes ever fixed on the distant darkness beyond the edge of the known galaxy. Still blind to the true signs of their looming fate. And so it was, that despite their efforts, the great Light Keepers were found wanting on their day of reckoning. As the Doom of Alcides rose from beneath their great halls looking to consume them all in roaring fires and searing light. And, with the Imperium approaching the end of the 37th millennium, the power that lay dormant, buried since untold ages beneath the deepest places of the planet, began to rise up; once the Sigmal had managed to breach through the geological barriers that had contained for so long. The sundering of Alcides started with a furious earthquake at the center of the hive city of Orsides. An event beyond the control of any seismic dampener or architectural countermeasure available to its inhabitants, which shook its foundations to the verge of collapse. Great chasms opened up from around epicenter of the event and towards the outer sectors of the hive city. Large walls of sharp rock as jagged fangs formed along their many paths to swallow entire sectors whole within a matter of minutes. Countless hab-blocks fell straight down into the depths, taking their inhabitants with them to their deaths. With alarms firing up across the planet, the magnitude and sudden nature of the event gave Grand Master Einheart cause for concern. As beasts appeared quickly around the affected areas of the hive city to feast on what was left amongst the ruins, the first battle lines of both the fourth company —led by Company Master Ademar— and fifth company —led my Company Master Steinar—, were sent in to secure the area, in lieu of the now fragmented Planetary Defense Force regiments of Orsides; and to protect any and all survivors that could be found. Not soon after these forces were sent in that new issues came to the Grand Master's attention, as the waters around the hive city of Leanansides began to suffer under the manifestation of previously unrecorded phenomena. The ocean depths began to be subjected to unnatural currents and temperatures, leading to almost boiling waters being thrusted with great force upon the blast shielding of the submerged sectors of the external regions of the hive city. Multiple structures eventually managed to break under the pressure of this torrential currents of near-boiling waters, as the points of most pressure were located outside the thermal shielding that was otherwise common around the generatoriums and refineries, for the prevention of fellhae attacks. Soon, the damage began to lead into a series of floods, with the burning waters flowing almost unstopped into the Underground Network. Once again, Grand Master Einheart was forced to send in the brothers of the chapter to deal with the situation. With the matter being of such urgency, the third company was dispatched in full to the hive city of Leananside. A thousand battle-brothers, marching as a singular strike force, and leading the way for support, squads from the eight and ninth, as well as many noble and able techmarines from the chapter's own armory to assist in the containment of the breached sectors. At the fortress-monastery, Gerold Havardir, master of the librarians, was dedicated to finding a recognizable pattern to these strange events. And, through the combined efforts and wisdom of the brothers of the librarium, he managed to pick up on an invisible thread that seemed to tie in both catastrophes. A form of gravitational anomaly, the traces of which could still be found lingering at the point of origin of both events. With these findings then confirmed by enough cogitators from the central nodes of the fortress, so as to give the Grand Master reason and evidence to justify decisive action against it, a search for an expected third event began. As the weeks passed, more forces were required to provide support, both to the efforts of the companies doing battle in the shaken ruins of the hive city of Orsides, as well as to that of the companies fighting the elements under the ocean surface, in the tunnels of the Underground Network that stretched from the hive city of Leanansides. Squads from the sixth and seventh reserve companies, as well as the tenth scout company, were tasked to both fronts with unnerving regularity. In the midst of this, the brothers of the librarium made their great discovery, in the form of a unique and very particular psychic frequency yet unperceived by any psyker in the chapter, but common to both gravitational anomalies. One which could serve, then, as a predictor to new manifestations of this astro-phenomena. And, no sooner had this discovery been made, that indeed new anomalous events were picked up by the forces of the chapter. This time, in the form of a series of minor gravitational ripples stretching beyond the reach of Alcides and far towards the star at the center of the Orientis Lux system itself. Expecting this to be the sign of a third calamity, and convinced now that this new event was to be the final prelude to the great doom that destiny had foretold for the chapter, Grand Master Einheart decided to strike against the coming evil. By his command, the remaining forces of the last of his battle companies took to the heavens in a mighty war fleet, seeking to intercept the monstrous beast of legend that they believed would be coming towards them, hidden in the light of the Orientis Lux star. And, sure enough, the Doom of Alcides had come at last for them. The Grand Master held the fortress-monastery, with the honored battle-brothers of the remaining first company at his side. Waiting solemnly for the beast —whatever it truly was— to come to him, wailing and wounded, surely, after first contact with his warriors. And as he gazed into the distant star at the center of the system, the doom indeed appeared, not from above them, but from beneath them. As it made itself manifest, all that the chapter managed to feel were the blasts. Untold numbers of them, appearing all across the planet, as overlapping warning signals began firing up through the central cogitators inside the fortress-monastery like an avalanche of information, threatening to devour the system and purge the machine spirits of each available terminal it could reach. Each blast caused by gravitational anomalies which began to manifest themselves at various points around the remaining infrastructure of each hive city in Alcides, as warping tunnels of twisted force, which spiraled from the depths of the planet, and pierced through layers of plasteel and permacrete, unseen by the naked eyes of the horrified citizens that scrambled everywhere for safety in the surviving sectors. Through these gravity tunnels came the fires from the star at the center of the system. Stretching across space and time like thin strands of bright fire and plasma, coming in the span of a few seconds to touch down on the planet's surface. From their halls in the Sigmalite Fortress, the battle-brothers of the Light Keepers chapter watched as orbs of light appeared in the distance. Balls of fire igniting first as tiny sparks, each then expanding in a matter of seconds into vast conflagrations over two kilometers wide. Each one evaporating everything in its reach. Each followed by a blinding flash of white light, and a thermal pulse that would go on to ignite all that was nearby and within stretches of over ten kilometers in every direction. This all then followed by blasts of hurricane winds, first washing over the areas beyond the flames, then contracting back to the center of each explosion at impossible speeds. Dragging corpses and rubble along the way and creating waves of debris that would go on to trample most of what was left along their path. Within a matter of hours over half of each hive city on Alcides had been lay to waste. The planet had become nothing more than a poor and ruinous reflection of its former self. With its grand tunnels and roads having been left hanging naked over chasms. With it's generatoriums and factories having been turned into radiation leaking death traps. With it's millions of survivors trapped under ruble, ash and black rain, and it's native beasts having been made to take flight beyond the reach of civilization, to swarm about the last places of geological integrity that were left. And, with the upper halls of the Sigmalite Fortress towering over the wastelands. Inside them, the battle-brothers being witnesses to the destruction that would soon begin to spread towards the rest of the Imperium. All of them now, forced to act, as a new gravitational anomaly and a new surge of thermal energy made itself known throughout the remaining displays of the fortress-monastery's central cogitators. A pulse coming from beneath the point of convergence of the Sigmal's engines, in the belly of the beast that was this new Alcides, which manifested itself along with a psychic shock that hit them with such initial force as to drive some in the chapter's librarium almost to their knees. Showing the Grand Master in his mind's eye what would be the most terrifying notion behind the calamity that had struck. That whatever the nature was of the doom that had broken the world of Alcides asunder, above all, it was self-aware. An actual intelligence, which laid at the source of this force; conscious to the presence of the chapter. And it had been planning for this, and had been waiting for them, for even longer than they had been planning and waiting for it. THE WAR OF SACRIFICE +++ work in progress +++ THE ETERNAL WATCH +++ Work in progress +++ TIMELINE OF THE HISTORY OF THE CHAPTER Year 147.M36, Rogue Trader Alaer-Khan first discovers the Orientis Lux System, after his ship is pulled towards the system by an unknown gravitational anomaly. Year 149.M36, the planet of Alcides is discovered, registered, and classified as initially suitable for terraforming and colonization. Year 150.M36, exploratory missions begin throughout Alcides. First stages of terraforming and put into action. Year 161.M36, the first official Alcidean colony is founded on the site on which the Semper Vera first made planet-fall. The early city constructed is named by the colonists as Vaerlides, and an early planetary government is formed. Alaer-Khan, the discoverer of the planet and the Orientis Lux system, embarks on his return voyage to Holy Terra. No record exists in Alcides of him and his ship ever returning to the system. Year 188.M36, the Alcideans first encounter the Fellhae, in the mountain ranges near the city of Vaerlides. Year 190.M36, the first emulsion pools are discovered on the upper crust of Alcides. A link is found between the proliferation of the known species of the Fellhae and the emulsion. Year 194.M36, through mapping of Fellhae migration patterns, new emulsion reservoirs are discovered in the crust of the planet, as well as in the ocean depths near the city of Vaerlides. Year 200.M36, exploratory missions begin to probe the topmost layers of the upper mantle for additional reservoirs of emulsion. Year 201.M36, various experimental projects to refine the emulsion in the known pools and reservoirs are implemented. New colonies begin to be establish to run digging and refinement programs over various pools and reservoirs. Year 261.M36, the city of Vaerlides celebrates the first century since its founding, as the refineries begin to grow into city-scale habitation complexes. The Alcideans continue to expand across the planet, with the city of Vaerlides remaining as the capital, and as the site of central government. Year 268.M36, success in the refinement of emulsion shows promising early results in energy production. Year 271.M36, the first Fellhae Generatorium is constructed. The energy output of the complex produces an increment in the rate of progress of the capital city of Vaerlides, and the various refinery-cities in its proximity. As the city and the refineries expand, they begin to mesh into one larger city. Year 311.M36, the capital city of Vaerlides finally absorbs its neighboring refinery cities, and the resulting urban complex is officially classified as one single city, reaching early Hive City status, in what is later recorded as the First Expansion of Alcides. Year 411.M36, through the construction of multiple new generatoriums, the Hive City of Vaerlides begins to grow at an even more accelerated rate. New refineries begin construction, to expand its reach further throughout the region. Year 426.M36, multiple Fellhae attacks take place at the site of many of the new refineries. Industrial accidents as a result of bestial attacks end with thousands of deaths, but progress continues, despite theories of a connection between the increased activity on the part of the local fauna and the energy production at these new generatoriums. Year 441.M36, the Great Migration of the Fellhae takes place. A highly aggressive flock of beasts, reaching an unprecedented size, appears from beyond the borders Vaerlides. The migration path of the flock puts it in direct collision with the capital city. Hundred of thousands of lives are lost, but the beasts are pushed back in the end. A connection between the generatoriums and the size of the Fellhae flocks is once again postulated. Reconstruction work begins immediately. Year 444.M36, the effect of the generatoriums on the migration patterns and increased aggressiveness of the already dangerous Fellhae species is quickly confirmed, and the conclusions are ratified by the central government in Vaerlides. Year 445.M36, in response to the events of the Great Migration of the Fellhae, the central government begins actions to bolster the Planetary Defense Force, and to de-centralize Alcides. New exploratory missions are sent farther across the planet, to begin construction of new refinery-cities and generatoriums. The sites are chosen with close attention to migration patterns of the Fellhae beasts, so as to reduce the possibilities of a new Great Migration taking place. Additional resources and colonists are requisitioned by the planetary government from nearby systems. Year 501.M36, the Second Expansion of Alcides begins, with additional population arriving by the millions from nearby systems to man the generatoriums and inhabit the cities in the new regions beyond Vaerlides. Year 529.M36, the Hive City of Orsides is founded, on the continental region to the north of Vaerlides. Multiple minor settlements are constructed on the neighboring regions. Year 557.M36, the sub aquatic Hive City of Leanansides is founded, on the oceanic depths to the west of Vaerlides. Multiple minor settlements are constructed on the neighboring regions. Year 896,M36, after centuries of prosperity, the expansion of the various hive cities passes the mid point of the upper mantle of Alcides. Year 304.M36, the great Underground Network begins construction. Year 456.M37, the Sigmal begins construction. Year 531.M37, the Sigmal finishes construction. The first vision of the Great Omen is seen and recorded in Holy Terra. Year 536.M37, the leadership of the Astra Telepathica concludes that the origin of the evil foretold by the the Great Omen lays beyond the Eastern Fringe. Agreement is reached that to fulfill the prophecy and stop the evil that is to come from this part of the galaxy requires a defensive line to be formed at the Orientis Lux system, and the case is presented to the High Lords of Terra to found a chapter to hold the system. Year 537.M37, the process to found the chapter begins. After many deliberations, the High Lords of Terra decide to found the chapter using the gene-seed of the First Legion, after discarding plans of using that of the Twenty Third, and of the Seventh, respectively. Year 581.M37, the chapter is founded, as part of the XXIII "Sentinel" Founding. They are given the name the Light Keepers, and promptly armed to embark on their journey to the Orientis Lux system. Year 583.M37, the Light Keepers depart from Holy Terra, on route to Alcides, in the Orientis Lux system. Year 585.M37, the Light Keepers arrive at the Orientis Lux system. Chapter Master Elsheim Einheart, first commander of the chapter, meets with the planetary government at their seat in the hive city of Vaerlides. The planet is claimed by the chapter as their homeworld, and the astartes are welcomed and celebrated by a cautiously joyful populace. Tensions are high but constrained, as the thousand warriors march on the Sigmal, after a thorough preliminary overview of the planet, to claim it as their own. The Sigmal begins to be retrofitted with additional halls and defenses, so as to be converted into the chapter's fortress monastery. Year 596.M37, after a rising tension caused by the actions and presence of the astartes, rebellious groups of Alcideans, supported in secret by the planetary government and parts of the chain of command of the planetary defense force, begin a series of acts of sabotage across the fellhae generatoriums of both the hive cities of Orsides and Leanansides. Their actions wreak havoc in logistical efforts of the chapter, and in the migration patterns of the fellhae at a planetary scale. This leads to what is recorder later as the False Migration of the Fellhae. Endless hordes of these beasts engage the Underground Network in search for emulsion, with little to no opposition. The Light Keepers march across Alcides to stop the beasts, but their reduced logistics and supplies hinder their task considerably. Year 598.M37, Grand Master Einheart decides to activate the core machinery of the Sigmalite Fortress, so as to drill through the upper mantle of Alcides, and reach the outer core emulsion deposits of the planet. The energy obtained from this provides a solution to the issues of weapons and munition manufacturing, and grants the chapter the edge needed to confront the False Migration in full force. Within a few months the Fellhae are pushed back, and the truth of the sabotage is discovered. A hunt begins for the rebels in the hive cities of Orsides and Leanansides. Year 599.M37, after a year-long campaign against the rebellious forces on the planet, the astartes emerge victorious. The chapter command marches on Vaerlides carrying the heads of the leaders of the rebellion, to discuss these past events with the planetary government. Grand Master Einheart, seeking for a way to stop the conflict in such a fashion so as to not have to purge the entirety of Alcides, and instead to do so in a way that unifies the planet in an effort to battle the coming doom he knows is on its way to the system, reaches out to the planetary government. Through the revelation of some of the truth in the visions of the Doom of Alcides the planet is again compliant to the needs of the chapter and vows its servitude to the Grand Master, in perpetuity. This vow is later named the Covenant of Vaerlides. ++++ WIP +++ ABOUT THE CHAPTER PERSONALITY AND MANNERISMS By virtue of the First Legion gene-seed from which these astartes are made, the brothers of the Wings of Dawn present themselves as stalwart warriors. All of them, in many respects, true successors to their progenitors, and living embodiment of the great virtues of the Primarch of the Dark Angels. They possess keen minds, well suited for precise and effective strategies. Each one designed to strike swiftly, at the heart of the enemy forces; and to accomplish whichever objective may be paramount to victory, without wasted efforts. Never showing off in grandiose displays of power for its own sake, nor toying with an enemy, neither for morbid pleasure nor righteous satisfaction. They are tenacious to a fault. Unable and unwilling to give ground to the enemy, to abandon a battle, or to give up their quarry once it has been made to take flight. Even when a particular tactic or situation calls for the retreat of a force from combat, or to allow the enemy to retreat themselves from the battlefield, one would do well to remember this. Most certainly said maneuver will have been but a small part of a larger strategy. One that will inevitably end with the total annihilation of whoever and whatever must be destroyed by the chapter. They display a constant mien of grim determination. Their lives are spent in absolute devotion to their tasks as angels of the Emperor's wrath, and are laid down willingly and without hesitation for the purpose of delivering His justice. This last trait, out of all the others, is what sets the brothers of the chapter apart. Even from other descendants of the gene-seed of the First Legion. Indeed, while sacrifice of ones own blood, ones own body, and even ones own life, all in service to the will of the Emperor, is to be expected of any astartes, the willingness displayed by the brothers of this chapter to sacrifice themselves for their goals is principal to them, a much stronger way than in most others chapters. Through a combination of their genetic composition and the mark of their own history, each battle brother possesses an amount of courage and resolve before the face of impossible odds, to a degree that is disturbing to most people. Even other astartes. To the point that it is common for other forces in the Imperium to think of these warriors as foolhardy at best, and suicidal at worst. And, with good reason, to a degree. Most imperial forces find it hard to really cooperate with these astartes in battle, as any brother of the Wings of Dawn could decide to give in to his own compulsion for martyrdom, to the success of their own goals, but to the overall detriment of any otherwise well though out plan. To make it worse, the members of the chapter will often see someone's natural sense of self preservation as a flaw of character. A sign of ones lack of true commitment to the duty owed to the Emperor to stop at nothing to destroy the enemies of humanity. Of course, as it is with any other force throughout the Imperium, no flaw is such that makes one unworthy before the judging eye of the Emperor, while that flaw can be made to better serve his will. And the battle brothers of the Wings of Dawn do just that. Somberly, strategically, and ruthlessly. Having been born to give up their lives in service to begin with. Having been reborn through the crucible of their own fate, to carry on their fight. Such is the brand left on them by the Great Omen. Such is the lengths to which they will go in their Eternal Watch. Death has no grip on them, and as it is their core belief, by their continued sacrifice even death may die. COLORS AND HERALDRY Wings of Dawn Chapter Symbol The chapter heraldry is that of a shinning blade, stabbing down, and with crimson red wings at its sides. Each battle brother wears this iconography on their left shoulder pad, and the corresponding formation badge and squad markings on their right. This, per the mandates of the Codex Astartes, to denote the warriors place as either a tactical specialist, assault specialist, devastator specialist, a chapter veteran, or a member of the chapters command structure. The armor of the battle brothers of the chapter is of a deep green color, reminiscent of the peculiar light that shines from the great auroras that flow across the skies above their homeworld of Alcides. Their belts, shoulder pads, and the crown of their backpacks, are all in a shade of tainted white, as the snows and ice that cover vast expanses of the planet surface. With this, each battle brother carries the beauty of their homeworld's scarred surface with him, even whilst walking down in the very depths of the underground network, or the last chambers of their sacred fortress. This same white color —along with other forms of regalia—, is used across the chapter to denote the position of a battle brother inside the command hierarchy. Neophytes, upon becoming fully fledged battle brothers, gain the right to show the color on the top of their helmets, and the color is used in this same manner from then on, regardless of the distinction that does exist between regular battle brothers and chapter veterans. Indeed, the status of 'veteran' is instead represented by the ceremonial robes that are bestowed upon introduction to the First Company of the chapter. The display of additional colors on the helmet is used, rather, to denote positions along the chain of command. With squad sergeants, lieutenants and company masters, wearing their helmets entirely in this Alcidean white. Other iconography is then added, to denote the rank of each battle brother, with squad sergeants wearing the color on their right knee pads, lieutenants wearing a stripe of the company color on the top of their helmets, and the masters of each company wearing helmets adorned with the wings of the chapters badge on the sides. From this, each warrior is then marked with the colors of his company. Following the traditions of the Codex Astartes, the edges of each battle brother's shoulder pads, and the emblems on their chest plates, show one of the ten chapter color designations. Them being: Silver for the Grand Master of the Chapter, and the rest of the Chapter Command. Including all senior officers, as well as the techmarines of the Armory, the chaplains of the Reclusiam and the librarians of the Librarium; White for the veterans of the First Company; Gold for the members of the Second Company; Red for the members of the Third Company; Light green for the members of the Fourth Company; Black for the members of the Fifth Company; Orange for the tactical reserves of the Sixth Company; Purple for the tactical reserves of the Seventh Company; Gray for the assault reserves of the Eight Company; Light blue for the devastator reserves of the Ninth Company; And, finally, dark blue for the neophytes of the Tenth Company. Wings of Dawn Color Scheme 2nd Company Battle Brother and Squad Sergeant ORIGINAL COMPOSITION AND STRUCTURE Even during their original founding the chapter was organized, not in the image and example of its progenitor, but instead on a much closer approximation to the mandates of the Codex Astartes, with little deviation from its text. After the end of the War of Sacrifice, of the decimation of the chapter, and of the culling of Alcides, this adherence to the traditional organization of the Adeptus Astartes became the key to its survival. With the loss of life came also a deep wound to the heritage and traditions of the chapter itself. The Codex gave the surviving warriors a starting point from which to rebuild. Not only that, but it is widely believed that the chapter's deviation from its progenitor's own unorthodox structure, and its close relation to the more regular traditions of the Adeptus Astartes, were instrumental in the expedient acknowledgement of the chapter's refounding by the High Lords of Terra, and by the Imperium as a whole. This is not to say that the chapter lacks a sense of identity. In effect, since a very short time after the refounding each Grand Master of the Chapter has made it a strong point to continue the arduous task set off by each of his predecessors, of reinforcing and expanding the chapter's rites and traditions, as well as recovering many of the old ones it held throughout its history. Both its own, and those inherited from the Dark Angels themselves, such as the special forms and style of warfare of the Deathwing, which go into the training of all veterans; and of the Ravenwing, which go into the training of all bikers, and all speeder and aircraft pilots. One particular such tradition was the incorporation of an army structure, heavily inspired in the Hexagrammaton once employed by the First legion. This principle of war, named by the Grand Masters of the chapter as the Excerviunt, commanded each battle company to incorporate —along with its Master's retinue— a squad of veterans clad in Tactical Dreadnought Armor taken from the armory of the First Company, and for their first assault squads to be formed entirely of riders and pilots of the chapter's bikes and landspeeders. This, so as to ensure that, despite the chapter not following a company structure in the fashion of the Dark Angels and many of their successors, each Master across the chapter would still have these specialized formations in the arsenal, and available to them at all times. With this, the traditional organization of the Wings of Dawn is as follows: At the head of the chapter stands the Grand Master, chosen to lead by the vote made by a council formed by the masters of each company. Served faithfully by his senior officers and staff. With him at the command of the chapter, follow the members of the Apothecarium, the techmarines of the Armory, the chaplains of the Reclusiam, and the librarians of the Librarius. Then comes the First Company, led by the Master of the First Company who, clad in Tactical Dreadnought Armor, commands a total of 50 veterans equally clad in the same type of armor, as well as 50 veterans in power armor. This force is accompanied by the honored venerable dreadnoughts —some of which are surviving links to the time of the chapter's original founding, and the age before the War of Sacrifice—, as well as a number of landraiders and other support vehicles. The First Squad of the First Company is composed of the finest warriors of the First Company, named the Knights of the First Dawn. Protected by the best suits of armor, the strongest shields, and equipped with the mightiest weapons that the chapter possesses. These warriors are seen as blessed, and are favored with the charge of doing battle against the chapter and the Imperium's greatest enemies. These veterans are thus honored and revered above all others by their battle brothers across the chapter. Following that, are the four Battle Companies, spreading from the Second Company though to the Fifth Company. Each company is led by a master, and is then divided into two demi companies, with each demi company being led by a lieutenant who acts as the highest authority after the master himself. In every Battle Company, under the master and the lieutenants, there is the Command Squad —composed of the company's apothecary, standard bearer, and champion—, and under them is a squad of veterans. Then, each demi company is formed as a battle line, composed of three full tactical squads, one full assault squad, one full devastator squad, and other support vehicles; the most important and revered of which is the dreadnought. Each Battle Company will maintain, at least, a dedicated dreadnought in each of its demi companies; each usually (but not necessarily) attached to the tactical squads battle lines, to provide them with ranged and close combat support, as well as guidance in battle. Not only that, but per the dogma of the Excerviunt, the venerable dreadnoughts of the First Company will regularly attach themselves to the Battle Companies, and take part in combat alongside them. Also, by the dogma of the Excerviunt, the veterans of the various Battle Companies will make use of suits of Tactical Dreadnought Armor, and the first assault squad of the first battle line of the first demi company, will ride to war in bikes and/or landspeeders, as well as other similar vehicles. Each of these groups of warriors having been trained in the special ways of warfare inherited from the teachings and wisdom of the progenitors of the chapter. After that, come the Reserve Companies, of which there are the Sixth and Seventh Tactical Reserve Companies, the Eight Assault Reserve Company, and the Ninth Devastator Reserve Company. Of all of these, the one that has the most peculiar composition is the Eight Assault Reserve Company. Firstly, because the company command itself battles not on foot, but on landspeeders and bikes. Then, because, similarly to how the First Company will have one half of its battle brothers in suits of Tactical Dreadnought Armor and the other half in power armor, the Eight Assault Reserve Company has one half of its squads on bikes and landspeeders, and the other cladded in power armor and jump packs. Also, because, in similar fashion as the First Company, the First Squad of the Eight Company is composed of only the best riders of the chapter. To them is the honor of riding the Fellhur; the finest, fastest, and best equipped bikes of the entire Armory of the chapter. Those who ride in this squad are named the Knights of the Dying Star, and although they belong to one of the reserve companies, they follow the tradition of the Excerviunt by being frequently summoned by the battle companies to fight alongside them. Yet, they remain formally in their position in the Eight Assault Reserve Company. This, to act as the mentors, as well as the watchers and keepers, of the deadly weapon that is the chapter's great assault formation. Any battle brother that wishes to reach a position as a rider in one of the chapter's battle companies must first be granted the right to do so, not just by the company command, or even the chapter command, but by the unanimous vote of the Knights of the Dying Star. THE INDUCTION OF PRIMARIS MARINES +++ work in progress +++ COMBAT SPECIALIZATION Although as versatile and capable as any of the Emperor's champions, in its approach to war the chapter favors infantry formations, plasma weaponry, and combat on both urban and enclosed environments. This, because of how they have been shaped by the nature of their homeworld. Alcides, being a planet of scarce non-oceanic flora, and of a harsh and only partially terraformed enviroment, had to be colonized through the construction of tight and intricate cities, connected by a vast, planet-wide sprawling underground network of highways, habitation modules, generatoriums, factories and refineries. All of which created the conditions for the planet's inhabitants, and the chapter itself, to adopt an approach to life, and war, apt to these enclosed spaces, above and bellow the ground. Thus, the Wings of Dawn prefer to fight in infantry formations, often times through coordinated movements of specialized combat squads, and tend to make less use of bulky mechanized units. In fact, when heavy support is needed on the field of battle, the preferred unit from the Armory of the chapter has always been the dreadnought, as it is seen as a more adequate unit for said combat environments. For this very reason it is that dreadnoughts are essential to the structure of the chapter's Battle Companies. Being reborn into this castraferrum bodies is considered a highly honored fate for any battle brother, and the rites for their maintenance are considered among the most sacred in the chapter. Plasma is the predilected type of weaponry in the chapter, both due to the type of cultural devotion that all Alcideans have towards plasma energy, as well as to the great availability and quality of ammunition for these type of weapons that exists all throughout the multiple Fellhae Generatoriums that still remain inside the planet. Even after the War of Sacrifice, the sundering of the Sigmalite Fortress, and the tear of the network in the late 37th Millenium. RECRUITMENT RITES +++ work in progress +++ PRIMARY MISSION AND PURPOSE After the events at the end of M37, and with the calamity of Orientis Lux having been stopped because of the actions of the chapter in the War of Sacrifice, their main objective in the eternal war for the dominion of humankind has shifted considerably. While originally created for the express purpose of dying in battle to ensure that the system be saved from the threats beyond the edge of the known galaxy that would otherwise consume it; its unexpected survival to these events brought on the chance to serve the Imperium still, and into the current millennia. At present, the Wings of Dawn serve in safeguarding the Eastern Fringe along side other Astartes deployed across this frontier part of the galaxy, and the entire Ultima Segmentum. Its Battle Companies being constantly deployed across the vast expanse of the Imperium, to carry on the fight to defeat its enemies. This, while the Reserve Companies hold the great Sigmalite Fortress, the cities and the underground network of Alcides, and keep on the Eternal Watch over the darkness beyond the Orientis Lux System. The First Company, for its part —and following the undying suspicions and concerns of the chapter's command—, serves the Eternal Watch, by maintaining a constant search for any sign that may appear of any remnants of the calamitous power that they once defeated, at the end of the 37th millennium. Their hunt is never ending, and fills these fearless veterans with righteous purpose, whilst leading them to the most dangerous corners of the Eastern Fringe, to do battle against whatever evils that may emerge from the depths of the Warp. This, with the constant aid of the Chapter's Librarium. Tasked as they are to actively seek out and uncover the secrets of the great ruin that sparked the War of Sacrifice, to decipher if its power and influence did in fact survive the efforts of the chapter, and whether or not a way exists to destroy it utterly, once and for all. Their work done not just through their divination efforts from within their sacred chambers, deep inside the Sigmalite Fortress, but often from the front lines of battle, al across the galaxy. DISTRIBUTION AND DISPOSITION As of present, the combat forces of the Wings of Dawn remain somewhat scattered across the Eastern Fringe of the galaxy. The bulk of the currently active battle brothers —in the form of the Reserve Companies—, remain stationed at the Sigmalite Fortress, on the chapter homeworld of Alcides, inside of the Orientis Lux system. Their lives are spent in prayer, training, and in guarding the inhabitants of the planet from the perils of the world itself and the cosmos as a whole. But most of all, they remain in their fortress to continue always with the Eternal Watch, to which all brothers of the chapter are bound to. The First Company remains as well on their homeworld, in a similar way, as their role in the Eternal Watch and the overall purpose of the chapter necessitates that they remain vigilant to the energy that emanates from the scars on the planet's core, as they are then interpreted by the Librarium. The wisdom of the librarians and the intelligence that can be divined from the flux of energy that courses at the root of the Sigmalite Fortress, is what thus decides where and when must the veterans of the First Company go, in their hunt for any possible remnants of the Doom of Alcides. As for the chapter's Battle Companies, these are regularly on guarding paths across the galaxy. Being provided regularly with new reinforcements from Alcides, and supported by large number of neophytes from the Tenth Company, as they battle the enemies of the Imperium and safeguard the far reaches of the domain of mankind. At present, however, only two of these companies are accounted for. First, there is the Second Company, which is known to be now engaged in war across the western end of the sector, and against a T'au Fifth Sphere Pathfinding Force known to Imperium records as "Guiding Light", from the sept world of Tash'Var. An exploratory, but still strongly armed force, which has been inexplicably identified in multiple attempts at conquest, far beyond the reaches of the T'au Empire. Then, there is the Third Company, which is known to be on the march beyond Macragge, and into the southern part of the Charadon Sector, in pursuit of a relentless force of various new strains of Tyranids. Part of what is presumed to be an experimental swarm, branched out from the Hive Fleet Behemoth, these Tyranids were first encountered by the now destroyed astartes chapter, the Angels of Deliverance, on the world of Corsuvio IV, in the Carima System. The Grand Master of the chapter himself was the one to break the tide of the swarm. Engaging it directly as it tried to expand onto the other worlds in the system. Then forcing it to retreat and scatter across the sector, after defeating their vanguard on the surface of the industrial planet of Corsuvio II. The Fourth and Fifth Companies, for their part, having been led in a crusade beyond the Orientis Lux system by a small force of veterans from the First Company, and with the support of a number of scouts from the Tenth Company, were last heard from as they went deep into the deep black of the Eastern Fringe. No communication has been possible with them for a number of years since then. ARMY GALLERY Brother Zerephiel, Grand Master of the Wings of Dawn, and his personal warhound Hidden Content Brother Osric, First Lieutenant of the Second Company Hidden Content Second Company Veterans, in Tactical Dreadnought Armor, per the Excerviunt Doctrines Hidden Content Second Company, First Battle Line Tactical Sergeants Hidden Content Second Company Tactical Marines Hidden Content First Assault Squad, on bikes, per the Excerviunt Doctrines Hidden Content

Greetings, brothers. 15 years into the hobby, I'm drawing close to actually finishing off painting my collection. I turn 30 on Sunday, so roughly half my life has been spent working on a single crusading force. I envision this thread as a way to collect my efforts - to track what's left of the painting project, to gather advice on what to do with the last remaining kits that have yet to be assembled, to organise the disparate elements available to me, and to gather additional reinforcements once all the current forces are 100% battle ready, pending wifely Adeptus Ministorum approval. There shall be fluff. There shall be army lists. There shall be pictures. There shall, hopefully, be battle reports. So, to kick things off, barring a few weapon options and mislaid models, this is the sum of my current collection. +++ FIRSTBORN BATTLE COMPANY (3RD CO) +++ + HQ + Captain [6 PL, 155pts]: Jump Pack, Storm shield, Thunder hammer Chaplain [5 PL, 85pts]: 2. Catechism of Fire, Fortress of Resolve, Litany of Hate, Plasma pistol Librarian [5 PL, 90pts]: 3) Null Zone, Bolt pistol, Force sword Lieutenants [5 PL, 93pts] . Lieutenant: Chainsword, Jump Pack, Storm bolter + Troops + 2 x Tactical Squad [10 PL, 180pts] . 7x Space Marine: 7x Bolt pistol, 7x Boltgun, 7x Frag & Krak grenades . Space Marine Sergeant: Chainsword, Combi-plasma . Space Marine w/Heavy Weapon: Heavy bolter . Space Marine w/Special Weapon: Plasma gun Tactical Squad [10 PL, 200pts] . 7x Space Marine: 7x Bolt pistol, 7x Boltgun, 7x Frag & Krak grenades . Space Marine Sergeant: Combi-melta, Power fist . Space Marine w/Heavy Weapon: Multi-melta . Space Marine w/Special Weapon: Meltagun Tactical Squad [10 PL, 195pts] . 7x Space Marine: 7x Bolt pistol, 7x Boltgun, 7x Frag & Krak grenades . Space Marine Sergeant: Plasma pistol, Power fist . Space Marine w/Heavy Weapon: Multi-melta . Space Marine w/Special Weapon: Meltagun Tactical Squad [10 PL, 175pts] . 7x Space Marine: 7x Bolt pistol, 7x Boltgun, 7x Frag & Krak grenades . Space Marine Sergeant: Bolt pistol, Power sword . Space Marine w/Heavy Weapon: Missile launcher . Space Marine w/Special Weapon: Flamer Tactical Squad [10 PL, 180pts] . 7x Space Marine: 7x Bolt pistol, 7x Boltgun, 7x Frag & Krak grenades . Space Marine Sergeant: Bolt pistol, Power sword . Space Marine w/Heavy Weapon: Missile launcher . Space Marine w/Special Weapon: Grav-gun + Elites + Apothecary [4 PL, 55pts] Company Veterans [8 PL, 167pts] . 3 x Space Marine Veteran: Combi-plasma, Storm shield . Space Marine Veteran: Combi-plasma, Thunder hammer . Veteran Sergeant . . Power Sword, Combi-plasma Vanguard Veteran Squad [7 PL, 130pts]: Jump Pack . 4 x Space Marine Veteran: Chainsword, Plasma pistol . Veteran Sergeant: Bolt pistol, Thunder hammer Vanguard Veteran Squad [7 PL, 145pts]: Jump Pack . Space Marine Veteran: Bolt pistol, Power fist . Space Marine Veteran: Bolt pistol, Power sword . Space Marine Veteran: Grav-pistol, Power axe . Space Marine Veteran: Bolt pistol, Power fist . Veteran Sergeant: Bolt pistol, Thunder hammer 2 x Venerable Dreadnought [8 PL, 128pts]: Assault cannon . Dreadnought combat weapon w/Storm Bolter: Storm bolter + Fast Attack + 2 x Land Speeders [5 PL, 70pts] . Land Speeder: Multi-melta + Heavy Support + Centurion Devastator Squad [14 PL, 255pts] . 2 x Centurion: Centurion missile launcher, Grav-cannon and grav-amp . Centurion Sergeant: Centurion missile launcher, Grav-cannon and grav-amp Devastator Squad [8 PL, 140pts] . Space Marine Sergeant: Chainsword, Plasma pistol . 4 x Space Marine w/Heavy Weapon: Plasma cannon Devastator Squad [8 PL, 135pts] . Space Marine Sergeant: Bolt pistol, Chainsword . 3 x Space Marine w/Heavy Weapon: Lascannon Devastator Squad [8 PL, 110pts] . 2x Space Marine: 2x Bolt pistol, 2x Boltgun, 2x Frag & Krak grenades . Space Marine Sergeant: Bolt pistol, Power sword . 2 x Space Marine w/Heavy Weapon: Missile launcher + Dedicated Transport + 5 x Drop Pod [4 PL, 68pts]: Storm bolter 3 x Razorback [6 PL, 110pts]: Twin heavy bolter 2 x Razorback [6 PL, 120pts]: Twin lascannon +++ PRIMARIS REINFORCEMENTS +++ + HQ + 2 x Captain in Gravis Armor [6 PL, 115pts]: Master-crafted power sword Primaris Captain (Indomitus) [5 PL, 105pts] Primaris Chaplain [5 PL, 85pts]: 5. Recitation of Focus, Fortress of Resolve, Litany of Hate Primaris Chaplain [5 PL, 85pts]: 2. Catechism of Fire, Fortress of Resolve, Litany of Hate Primaris Lieutenant (Indomitus) [4 PL, 90pts] Primaris Lieutenants [8 PL, 150pts] . 2 x Primaris Lieutenant: Master-crafted auto bolt rifle Primaris Lieutenants [8 PL, 150pts] . 2 x Primaris Lieutenant: Power sword + Troops + 2 x Assault Intercessor Squad [5 PL, 95pts] . 4x Assault Intercessor: 4x Astartes Chainsword, 4x Frag & Krak grenades, 4x Heavy Bolt Pistol . Assault Intercessor Sgt: Heavy Bolt Pistol 4 x Intercessor Squad [5 PL, 100pts]: Bolt rifle . 4x Intercessor: 4x Bolt pistol, 4x Frag & Krak grenades . Intercessor Sergeant + Elites + Aggressor Squad [6 PL, 135pts]: 2x Aggressor, Aggressor Sergeant . Auto Boltstorm Gauntlets/Fragstorm Grenade Launcher Bladeguard Ancient [5 PL, 85pts] Bladeguard Veteran Squad [5 PL, 105pts]: Bladeguard Veteran Sgt . 2x Bladeguard Veteran: 2x Frag & Krak grenades, 2x Heavy Bolt Pistol, 2x Master-crafted Power Sword, 2x Storm Shield Judiciar [4 PL, 85pts] Primaris Ancient [4 PL, 80pts] Primaris Apothecary [4 PL, 60pts] + Fast Attack + 2 x Inceptor Squad [6 PL, 120pts]: Assault bolter x2, 2x Inceptor, Inceptor Sergeant Outrider Squad [6 PL, 135pts]: Outrider Sgt . 2x Outrider: 2x Astartes Chainsword, 2x Frag & Krak grenades, 2x Heavy Bolt Pistol, 2x Twin Bolt rifle + Heavy Support + Eradicator Squad [5 PL, 120pts]: Eradicator Sgt . 2x Eradicator: 2x Bolt pistol, 2x Melta rifle 2 x Hellblaster Squad [8 PL, 165pts]: Plasma incinerator . 4x Hellblaster: 4x Bolt pistol, 4x Frag & Krak grenades . Hellblaster Sergeant: Bolt pistol + Dedicated Transport + 2 x Repulsor [16 PL, 346pts]: 2x Storm Bolters, Auto Launchers, Heavy Onslaught Gatling Cannon, Icarus Rocket Pod, Ironhail Heavy Stubber, 2x Krakstorm Grenade Launcher, Onslaught Gatling Cannon, Twin lascannon +++ 1ST COMPANY TASKFORCE +++ + HQ + Captain [5 PL, 95pts]: Master-crafted boltgun, Relic blade Lieutenants [4 PL, 85pts] . Lieutenant: Combi-melta, Power fist + Elites + 3x Sternguard Veteran Squad [6 PL, 85pts] . 4x Space Marine Veteran: Special issue boltgun . Veteran Sergeant . . Special Issue Boltgun/Bolt Pistol Terminator Assault Squad [9 PL, 183pts] . Terminator Sergeant . . Thunder Hammer & Storm Shield: Storm shield, Thunder hammer . Terminator w/THSS: Storm shield, Thunder hammer . 3x Terminator w/x2LC: 3x Lightning Claw (Pair) Terminator Squad [18 PL, 223pts] . Terminator Sergeant: Power sword, Storm bolter . Terminator w/CF: Chainfist, Storm bolter . Terminator w/Heavy Weapon: Assault cannon, Power fist . 3x Terminator w/PF: 3x Power fist, 3x Storm bolter ++ Total: [451 PL, 8,369pts] ++ Created with BattleScribe EDIT: Double-posted the army list, cleaned up formatting for ease of reading.

OK please allow me to present my labour of love, over the past 3 years this Chapter has grown to what it is now, I have changed so much since the 1st BoA but I have kept some similar things. The good thing about being a painter and not a player is I can get away with alot of stuff as you will see, I know there is much to read but please read it C&C anything you like or don't like. I want to thank GMB for well he knows I have posted this in the DA forums too but I wanted to give it more exposure. Index Astartes http://i1116.photobucket.com/albums/k574/jetpaczx/Chapter20Badge_zps4cuzl5kv.jpg GENE-SEED (PREDECESSOR):- DARK ANGELS FOUNDING:- 3rd [005.M32] [iron Manticores] 5th [523.M33] [27th] CHAPTER MASTER:- LOTHAR Von MITTE CHAPTER WORLD:- MANNHEIM FORTRESS MONASTERY:- THE KRAKEN (Water going Leviathan) MAIN COLOURS:- RED - STONE ROBES SPECIALITY:- TERMINATOR VETERANS - 2ND COMPANY BIKES/SPEEDERS - FALLEN HUNTERS BATTLE CRY:- CHAPLAIN 'In the name of the Lion!' - REPLY 'We are his Blade' CURRENT STRENGTH:- 800+, 4th & 6th Company rebuilding from extreme losses. KNOWN DESCENDANTS:- NONE KNOWN The Blades of Alaric Space Marines Chapter [imageright][/imageright] Origins At the time of the Iron Manticores creation the High Lords were not as suspicious as they are now so they were created without much issue, originally designated to patrol systems near the Ghoul Stars, The Unforgiven provided the officer cadre to take control of the Chapter as was requested in the mandate over four hundred Astartes were already waiting, it is noted that they might have been cloned or vat grown, they were very inexperienced for Astartes They proved themselves to be very capable once they were battle ready slowly earning the respect of the rest of the Unforgiven as they learned their warcraft. The Chapter was eventually able to fight on its own with no support, with their new fleet they were about to set out to the Ghoul Stars when Inquisitor Cythro Darvoto of the Ordo Herecticus had requested the Unforgiven to provide support in his campaign, even though the Dark Angels and most of the other Unforgiven were skeptical Cassiel was eager to once again prove his worth as the Grand Master and in extension the Iron Manticores. So with that the whole Chapter mobilised for war. What was unknown to Cassiel at the time was Darvoto was using the Chapter for his own ends to recover a set of five artefacts corrupted by Chaos, what these artefacts did was not fully known. The campaign went well to begin with, Chaos cults in the Brast system were wiped out to a man, the first artefact was recovered, it proved to be the catalyst of the Chapters downfall. The second and third artefacts were found in quick succession, the influence of Chaos becoming more and more apparent, local casualties from war started to rise exponentially, the Inquisitor did his best to encourage the Iron Manticores to shed blood. The first step over the line came when the Master Chaplain questioned the Inquisitor and Cassiel in private only to be killed in cold blood. Cassiel has used the Blade given to him by Darvoto, it howled as it took the Chaplains life. As the fourth artefact when found most of the Chapter had fallen to the worship of Chaos any that did not accept this were killed in rituals to the Warp, it took so little time to corrupt the Chapter. Unknown to Darvoto and the Iron Manticores a group of three Inquisitors had informed the Dark Angels of this Inquisitors crimes and his heresy. Over half of the Unforgiven mobilised with Jaxartes the Supreme Grand Master of the Angels of Vengeance taking overall command. Jaxartes took this very personal considering Cassiel used to be the Master of his 3rd Company. With a fleet of ten Battle Barges, 17 Strike Cruisers and various escorts the Fleet when searching for answers. Once the Task Force has caught up with the Iron Manticores, Jaxartes demanded Cassiel to transport to his flagship, he refused and ordered his fleet to open fire on the Blade of Vengeance, with his fall complete Cassiel started to fight a losing battle his fleet would not stand a chance. Jaxartes was not interested in killing him in a Void battle so steps were taken to disable Cassiels Battle Barge and board it, upon boarding the ship the corruption of Chaos was more apparent, the two met in combat on the bridge. Cassiel swelled with power from the warp proved to be even match for Jaxartes but he fell to his former Master, over the next few days nearly all of the remaining Iron Manticores were killed, the group of Inquisitors ordered Exterminatus on the planet below where Darvoto was completing his ritual. The Unforgiven were never told what the Artifacts could do and it would be guessed they were more concerned with the Iron Manticores destruction given the knowledge some with privy to. All records of the incident were wiped from Imperial records only the Unforgiven have knowledge as the three Inquisitors met with drive failure jumping into the warp. With records of the Iron Manticores being expunged by the Inquisition, there is very little to prove they even existed. The Blades can use this to their advantage. There probably exists some documentation with the Manticores that survived the fall to corruption. The Blades would then say they are the few Manticores that fought against their corrupted brothers but were not slain in a ritual. Having been deemed free of taint by the Unforgiven chapters involved in the conflict. They were given permission to rebuild. They changed their name and colors to purged that reminder of their past and to avoid any complications when an Inquisitor remembers there was a kill order for the Manticores. The 'reminted' Blades would have been under close contact with the Unforgiven (which is true as the Blades were probably scrutinized heavily upon their return) and as such they rebuilt quickly with the Unforgiven looking on. The Blades have since kept in contact with the Unforgiven to prevent another Manticore Incident and have served with distinction ever since. Sixty three years after the incident The ships of the 1st Legion carrying the 27th Order transitioned back to normal space in the Caliban System after being missing for over two thousand years. The Strike Cruiser Black Sword of Vengeance was the first to make contact with their lost brothers. After initial suspicion and given the recent history of the Iron Manticores, the Unforgiven were rightfully wary. But this time it was a reason for celebration they were indeed the lost 27th Order, they disappeared after jumping from Macragge during the Heresy. It took them some time to adjust to being out of their own time. Alloken the Supreme Grand Master along with Jurgen Becke came up with the plan of the 27th taking over the Iron Manticores history and provide the tithes due to the Chapter, as first Jurgen was against this, He thought it was the 27th's right to lead the Dark Angels themselves, it was not until his friend Karsten the main Librarian of the 27th explained to him that their place was not at the Rock or as Dark Angels, but as long as they were Sons of El'Jonson their name did not matter. So it was after this the 27th Order became a member of the Unforgiven with the full knowledge of what that entailed, but even Jurgen was not told everything, even Alloken did not know all. This fateful meeting also started a deep brotherhood with the Angels of Vengeance in particular with Jaxartes and Jurgen, Both recognising a common ground between them, Whereas Jaxartes was impetuous, Jurgen was patient, were Jaxartes was outspoken, Jurgen was diplomatic. They consider themselves part of the Unforgiven and will pursue the Fallen to the ends of the galaxy. But they do not do this for the reasons that the Dark Angels do. They follow more closely to the Angels of Vengeance they are fanatical in the destruction of Traitors of any kind. Sixty three years after the incident The ships of the 1st Legion carrying the 27th Order transitioned back to normal space in the Caliban System after being missing for over two thousand years. The Strike Cruiser Black Sword of Vengeance was the first to make contact with their lost brothers. After initial suspicion and given the recent history of the Iron Manticores, the Unforgiven were rightfully wary. But this time it was a reason for celebration they were indeed the lost 27th Order, they disappeared after jumping from Macragge during the Heresy. It took them some time to adjust to being out of their own time. Alloken the Supreme Grand Master along with Jurgen Becke came up with the plan of the 27th taking over the Iron Manticores history and provide the tithes due to the Chapter, as first Jurgen was against this, He thought it was the 27th's right to lead the Dark Angels themselves, it was not until his friend Karsten the main Librarian of the 27th explained to him that their place was not at the Rock or as Dark Angels, but as long as they were Sons of El'Jonson their name did not matter. So it was after this the 27th Order became a member of the Unforgiven with the full knowledge of what that entailed, but even Jurgen was not told everything, even Alloken did not know all. This fateful meeting also started a deep brotherhood with the Angels of Vengeance in particular with Jaxartes and Jurgen, Both recognising a common ground between them, Whereas Jaxartes was impetuous, Jurgen was patient, were Jaxartes was outspoken, Jurgen was diplomatic. They consider themselves part of the Unforgiven and will pursue the Fallen to the ends of the galaxy. But they do not do this for the reasons that the Dark Angels do. They follow more closely to the Angels of Vengeance they are fanatical in the destruction of Traitors of any kind. Origins of the Order of the Golden Blade The Order of the Golden Blade was a small Order on Caliban, it had existed for thousands of years, but its original roots can be traced back to ancient Terra, They were a small offshoot of the Teutonic Knights. When man went to the stars some Old Orders seen this as chance to create in their eyes an ideal world. There are few examples of this still alive in the Galaxy, New Mannheim is one example, how some of the Order ended up on Caliban is lost in time but its more likely a colony ship got lost in the warp only to appear near the planet. When the Lion became the Supreme Grand Master of the Order all others were given the chance to swear fealty to him every Order with one exception pledged their loyalty. When the Emperor found his lost Son and was given command of his Gene Sons the 1st Legion, recruitment from Caliban began in earnest, the 27th Order was one of the first Calibanite Space Marine Orders created the only exception to this was a Terran Chapter Master who took the 27th to shape them in battle. After their return and subsequent rebirth they were to finally take the name of the Blades of Alaric, this was is in reference to the original Teutonic Knight who founded the Order of the Golden Blade on Terra over thirty nine millennia ago. Home World When the new Iron Manticores followed the path Karsten said was the Emperors will even though the 27th were not superstitious Jurgen did not doubt Karsten. So began a journey to their new homeworld that would take them fifty six years. But it became clear why the 27th were drawn to the planet. The population is descendants of Germanic Tribes that went to the stars during the Dark Age. The planets original name was Javadar, but once the 27th declared the planet their homeworld they changed the name to the ancient Germanic town of Mannheim in honour of their ancestors from Terra who ended up on Calibans southern continent during the Dark Age of Technology. Mannheim is located located close to eastern most point in Segmentum Obscurus, in the Uhulis Sector, Dimmamar would be considered the nearest Imperium planet. Mannheim is an ocean world over eighty percent of the world is water. One land mass cover the north eastern part of the world. This area is formed into three countries. Mitte Fertile grasslands cover most of the continent of Mitte, the people of the country are well known for their artistic endeavours, their works of art have been distributed all over the Imperium. Mitte was also the landing site where the Blades of Alaric made planetfall. A memorial to this event was made and placed at the site. Sandhofen The continent of Sandhofen is situated north of Mitte, Sandhofen took the full force of a volcanic natural disaster rendering the vast majority of the land uninhabitable. It was estimated that over five hundred thousand people lost their lives in the disaster. The people of Sandhofen were stubborn and they chose to rebuild their Towns instead of abandoning Sandhofen, A new capital of Sandhofen was created near the site of the extinct Volcano, New industry was established in mining the Obsidian made from the disaster. The Blades of Alaric also use this continent as well as Mannheim's Moon to train the Chapter scouts. Ketsch The mountainous Ketsch is the home of the current King of Mannheim, Industrious and hard working people are a stark contract to a more medieval world. The capital has become very technological signs of change are seen more so in Ketsch, the Kings Palace is situated in the capital Friesenheim. The Knight orders have been slowly dying out over the past few millennia, although the Blades of Alaric have adopted a lot of their traditions in to the Chapter, The orders may die out on the planet but with the Blades they will survive forever. With this the Military of Ketsch has adopted to a more modern way of warfare, Mannheim's first Astra Militarum regiment was created in 091.M37. Military service of a period of six years from the age of eight is mandatory in Ketsch, Mitte and Sandhofen have been known to send their children to the Military Academies. Fortress Monastery The Blades of Alaric do not use any of the continents as a base instead they sail the great ocean known as the Golden Meer, in what can only be described as a water-going Leviathan/submersible, The Kraken. The Kraken is a marvel of human creation, it can be compared to the Raptorus Rex Star Fortress of the Fire Hawks. A relic of the Dark Age of Technology the Kraken was purposely made for water, how this Leviathan ended up on Mannheim is a mystery never to be known. It was discovered submerged in the Northern Golden Meer by the Chapter when they were surveying for a suitable locations for the Chapters Fortress. Jurgen declared Rites of Acquisition and claimed the ancient Leviathan. It took over fifteen years to make the vast Fortress battle ready. When the Priesthood of Mars found out about the discovery of the Submersible they requested the Chapter to allow a permanent team led by a Magos Explorator to study the Relic. An agreement was made given the Blades access to various wargear including four Dreadnoughts, Suits of rare Terminator Armour and some Rare Tanks. Over the past seven thousand years the Blades of Alaric have benefited extremely well with this agreement. Combat Doctrine Like the Dark Angels, the Blades of Alaric share a stubborn streak on the battlefield, but this is tempered even they know when its time for them to leave. They prefer to use assault vehicles like Land Raiders. The Chapter will use overwhelming fire-power in the form of Whirlwinds and Thunderhawk Gunship bombing runs once the enemies are reeling from that the 2nd Company will scout ahead for ripe targets to allow the 1st Company Terminators to finish the enemies Command structure. In battles where the assets of the 1st and 2nd are not always available Battle Companies will rely on the Predator Spearheads backed by Vindicators. Always at the forefront are the Battle Company Veterans. The Blades keep some of the tradition the 27th were famed for in the Great Crusade, the backbone of their Armies are the Tactical Squads. Organization The Blades of Alaric are set up like a Codex Chapter with the exception of the 1st and 2nd Companies like the Dark Angels. The Chapters Inner Circle also functions in a similar way Dark Angels but not as convoluted. The Chaplains and Librarians will be the ones to interrogate Fallen caught. They have no knowledge of Luther being on the Rock. All Knight Commanders, Chaplains, Librarians, All of 1st Company and all First Knights of the other Companies have knowledge of the Fallen. Another unique formation in the Blades of Alaric are the Twelve, also known as the Knight Protectors, they are the Grand Cross's Honour Guard. There is never more than Twelve, it is rare for these mighty warriors to take to the field as a full unit and it only happens when the Chapter takes to the field as a whole for the most part The Grand Cross is accompanied by at least two of these one of them is always the Master Protector. Membership of the Twelve is limited to 1st Company only but as always exceptions are made. The Chapters Paladin usually comes from this formation too, were as the Paladin seeks out the enemy Champions the Twelve's only concern is their Liege. The 1st Company are known as the Gefallen Jäger (Fallen Hunters), a name they adopted when the elements of the fate of Caliban was told to them this name is not common knowledge to the rest of the Chapter its only upon induction to the 1st is the name revealed. The original Master of the 27th's 1st Company swore vengeance on his traitorous Brothers , the Fallen Hunters like the Deathwing and 1st of the Angels of Vengeance are ruthless and relentless in their pursuit of the fallen willing to take on even the most suicidal mission. Although the Grand Cross will not throw is most elite veterans on a fools errand. Like the Deathwing of the Dark Angels the 1st Company of the Blades of Alaric operate only in Terminator Armour, unlike the Deathwing, the Blades of Alaric do not have the Knights as part of the structure, instead they are the Knight Sergeants of each squad, these veterans have lived through centuries of war next to the Masters of the Chapter they are the future leaders of the Chapter, nobody becomes a Knight Commander or even the Chapters Grand Cross without at least a few decades as a Knight Sergeant in the 1st Company. The 1st Company have kept their original legion markings, although they were no longer Dark Angels some felt they could not fully abandon their origins. The 2nd Company will pursue their quarry with relentless determination, it was this that Seppel the first Knight Commander of the 2nd to name his company the Höllenhund (Hell Hounds). In ancient mythology on Terra one of the duties of these fearsome mythological beasts was to hunt for lost souls which given their duty it seems the suitable name. Each Grand Cross has come to rely heavily on these zealous warriors, its not unknown for the 2nd to be used as a forward scout force when the 10th Company are not available. The 3rd Company are also known as Vengeance Blades after The Angels of Vengeance & The Blades of Alaric fought in a twenty five years crusade to find three Fallen from the Heresy. The then current Angels of Vengeance Grand Master commended the remains of the 3rd Company with the sacrifice they made in capturing the three, This action further solidified the close Brotherhood both Chapter shared from the start. All survivors were awarded their Crux Terminatus for their steadfast duty and their sacrifice. The remainder of the chapter is organised exactly like a Codex Chapter, with the 3rd, 4th and 5th companies being Battle Companies, the 6th, 7th, 8th and 9th being Reserve Companies. The 10th is the Scout Company. Standard organisation of a Battle Company is as followed. Knight Commander Command Squad (Knight Champion, Company First Knight (Veteran Sergeant), Standard Bearer, Apothecary and Weapon Specialist.) Land Raider or Droppod Chaplain Librarian (All Companies will have a Librarian attached to them) Company Veterans (Numbers vary per Company) Six Tactical Squads + Rhinos or Droppods Two Assault Squads + Rhinos, Droppods or Jumppacks Two Devastator Squads + Rhinos, Droppods Fleet Assets The Blades of Alaric have been fortunate and have an impressive fleet they employ in the defence of their Homeworld and local systems. In the current fleet they boast four Battle Barges, eleven Strike Cruisers, various Escorts. Herald of Caliban - Battle Barge - Flagship This venerable vessel has saw action all the way back to the Great Crusade, most of the time it is stationed near New Mannheim, it only goes to war when the Chapter are united in conflict. The Chapter are loath to use it otherwise. Mannheims Pride - Battle Barge This is the personal ship of Knight Commander Johan the Chapters void war specialist, as well as the standard Bombardment Cannons the ship is fitted with Fusion Beamers. Golden Blade of Alaric - Battle Barge This Battle Barge is the newest vessel in the Blades fleet, it was commissioned just over one thousand years ago, it was given to the Blades as payment for the Chapters sacrifice when defending an Adeptus Mechanicus Titan Transporter and its escorts. The Magos of the Forge World considered the price a pittance compared to the God Machines. Jaxartes Revenge - Battle Barge Named after the Supreme Grand Master of the Angels of Vengeance, during the time the 27th returned they thought with Angels of Vengeance in numerous battles, when Jaxartes fell in battle the Blades honoured his memory by naming this ship after the legendary Master. Recruitment Most of the Chapter's recruits used to come from the Knight Orders that served the King, As the world adopts a more modern way of life the Knight Orders have been slowly dying out. Recruitment has been focused on the Military Academies. It has been noted by the Chaplains of the Chapter that it has provided a greater flux of suitable recruits compared to the Knightly Orders which in turn has led to the Scout Company being of a considerable size more so that standard Codex traditions. However a few brave individuals have swam out to The Kraken earning a place in the Chapter and its rich history. One such individual is the current Grand Cross Lothar. Appearance and Iconography The main colour of their armour is dark red, it is considered unique among the Green, Bone and Black of most of the members of the Unforgiven. But there is no mistaking their lineage. The chapter icon has been changed from the Dark Angels standard icon to the single winged Sword used by the Ravenwing Order. Company markings are as standard Unforgiven. Icons such as Skulls and Crux Terminatus are usually in gold. Chest Eagles are painted bone. The robes of the Chapter are usually in a Cream/Stone colour with yellow or green trim. The 1st Company use the original icon of the Dark Angels Legion. Each marine will also have on his armour a small golden yellow sword as a symbol of their past origins. Robes are worn mostly as a ceremonial thing but some Officers will wear them in battle. As the Iron Manticores they used the head of the mythical beast and their symbol, Green Chest Eagles. Robes where Ice Blue in colour. Beliefs The Blades of Alaric like most Space Marine Chapters venerate the Emperor as the father of all marines, and the Lion as his most gifted son. With these beliefs and the Monastic order of Knights that serve as the New Mannheim Knight Orders . But one might wonder how the Chapter will be shaped in years to come with the decline of the Orders as the planet becomes more advanced. The Imperial Creed has never fully caught one with the natives of Mannheim, There are pockets of people who worship the Emperor as a God, but it is rare these are accepted into the Chapter. They have a deeply stubborn streak and prideful. They work very well together with Angels of Vengeance and will fight to the bitter end with their fellow Unforgiven brothers. Gene-seed To the outside observer the Blades of Alaric are descendant from the Angels of Vengeance, but the truth being that they were a Lost 1st Legion Order they have Dark Angel Gene-Seed and that is considered some of the purest. Battle-cry Pre Heresy - Never Falter, Never Fail... We are the 1st CHAPLAIN 'In the name of the Lion!' - REPLY 'We are his Blade' Selected Battles 678.M33 March Home The first battle the Chapter faced after leaving the Rock was a small moon in the Dectus Sector, an Ork Warboss known as Grimkilla. After three months of combat the Chapter Champion Mathias met the Warboss in personal combat and slaying the Warboss. So began the Chapters eternal war. 984.M33 The Grudge of Dogs During a combined force assault on a Chaos held world near Cadia, the Blades of Alaric 4th Company fired on a Space Wolves encampment after the Wolves commander ordered Imperial Guard artillery to fire on a chaos held location Scout elements of the 10th Company where present and killed. The Blades of Alaric refuse to help or fight with the Space Wolves. The Arrogance of these dogs and I will put them down like dogs, My Chapters losses mean nothing. Knight Commander Moritz of the 4th 829.M35 The Sheran Rift The 5th Company's Battle Barge (Obsidian Blade) under the Command of Knight Commander Rainer were caught under a surprise attack by a small Chaos force led by a Chaos Battle Barge known as the Ecstasy of the Soul. After losing most of her escorts the Obsidian Blade was able to score a kill shot on the Ecstasy's engines crippling the ship. Seven suits of the rare Cataphractii Terminator Armour were salvaged and have been restored to its former glory by the Techmarines of the Chapter and sanctified by a Magos Techpriest of the local Forgeworld. 771-774.M37 The Rage of the Unforgiven Five Companies representing the Unforgiven launch an all out assault on a renegade Imperial world, rumours are abound as sighting of the greatest traitor himself Cypher. It was noted Cypher himself was not present but there was a Fallen Angel instigating riots. Arakiel was captured and died during his interrogation at the hands of Unforgiven. 101.M39 The Culling of Hathre The Blades of Alaric are asked to provide backup to Ordo Xenos Inquisitor Yeth Bandt in his mission to prove Dark Eldar had infiltrated the Imperial World of Hathre, The Inquisitor orders exterminatus on the planet. The 5th Company and elements of the 2nd and 9th are wiped out to a man. The Battle Barge Mannheim's Pride escapes the system to report to Grand Cross Dietrich. 203-206.M39 Dietrich's Vengeance Dietrich the 58th Grand Cross calls upon a Angels of Vengeance fleet that was in a nearby system, The Angels of Vengeance proved to be instrumental in capturing the rogue Inquisitor. After a three year chase the Inquisitor is cornered and captured. Dietrich gave him no quarter as he killed the Inquisitor with his bare hands. Bandt's skull was cleaned and polished, Dietrich engraved the names of his dead brothers into it. It is now considered a relic. 054.M40 Traitors Game The 5th Companys first battle after Hathre comes in the form of a Crusading Black Templar force giving chase to a Black Legion splinter fleet led by Karatos the Reaper. The battle comes to the fore on the bridge of the Black Legions command ship. Marshal Arnfried and Knight Commander Jurgen kill Karatos. Both chapters earn each others respect and exchange gifts. 910.M40 Space Hulk Theoculus The Theoculus space hulk turns up in the Uhulis Sector, swarming with Orks, with the combined might of the whole Chapter the Orks are defeated and the Hulk destroyed, but the Blades of Alaric suffered losses in the effect of the 4th, 5th and 7th companies being virtually wiped out. 559.M41 All Records Deleted 743.M41 Record deleted at request of Ordo Xenos 972-997.M41 Crusade of Three The combined force of the 3rd Company of the Blades of Alaric and the 4th Company of Angels of Vengeance respectively scoured the Laeth Trinary system for twenty five years to find three of Fallen. Heavy loses were inflicted on the Blades of Alaric but the 3 were caught. As a result the remaining Veterans were given their Crux Terminatus marking them for future promotion to the 1st. Thirty two Marines survived. 982.M41 Massacre on Geath Prime Considered the darkest day in the long history of the Chapter. Grand Cross Lothar answered the pleas of a local Imperial World under attack by sending the 4th, 6th and elements of the 1st. A Chaos Battlegroup under command of a Thousand Sons Sorcerer Lord simply known as The Occulus. One hundred and sixty two marines died in one night sacrificed to the warp. Twenty seven Brothers of the 6th spat on their oaths. The thirty one survivors have sworn bloody vengeance on the traitors. It was noted this had been the second time in a thousand years the Blades have taken heavy loses. 995.M41 Hunt for The Occulus After the massacre on Geath, the Blades of Alaric 1st, 2nd & 3rd Companies & along with elements from the Angels of Vengeance 1st 2nd & 4th Companies, Launch a devastating attack on Cyuinse IV suspected location of The Occulus. The Sorcerer Lord and his elite cadre escape his forces take overwhelming losses. Three Oath-breakers confirmed dead. 999.M41 Game of Shadows Mannheim's Pride under the command of Johan and the 3rd chase down a damaged Eldar Cruiser of some unknown Craftworld. On closer inspection Tyranids are discovered. Knight Commander Johan with the help of Revered Knight Kilian kill the Hive Tyrant. This is the first recorded encounter of Tyranids by the Chapter. Minimal losses taken. Heroes of Antiquity Jurgen Becke - 1st Grand Master, Known as The Grand Cross. Bearer of the Golden Blade Jurgen was a Grand Master in the Great Crusade, he was the Commander of the 27th Order of the 1st Legion, He was known for his tactical ability, diplomatic skills he was truly a Son of the Lion. He was present as a child when his Father took a knee to pledge to the Lions new Order on Caliban. He developed a great hatred for Orks most especially an Warboss known as Grimkilla. He was also the one who had chosen to use the Ravenwing iconography after they settled on New Mannheim. He also amended the titles of his Masters to be more in line with his original Order on Caliban. Jurgen died at the hands of Dark Eldar after three hundred and thirty five years of leading the Blades of Alaric upon their return from the Warp. Torsten Paladin of the 27th The Axeman of Alaric Torsten would be the first to admit he would never be a Master of his chapter, or even a Sergeant. His talent lay in combat. He was never seen on the battlefield without his custom Power Axe a relic from the Great Crusade. Torsten's life was cut short when he fought a Chaos Space Marine known as Kyrax the Bloodied a foul Champion of Khorne. Anton - 1st Grand Interrogator Grand Master of the Chaplains Anton was one of the oldest Marines in the 27th before the Heresy, he was known as a plain speaking man, only saying what was required. He was known for his ability to inspire his fellow Brothers. He would be known as the main architect in integrating Mannheim's traditions into the chapter. He was over six hundred years old at the time. But this grizzled old veteran lived for another two hundred and thirteen years. Giving his life to save a young scout. Karsten - 1st Grand Seeker Chief Librarian Karsten was given the honour of becoming the youngest Chief Librarian of any of the Unforgiven, His main talent was his visions he was the one who spoke up about their fateful warp jump, he also led the 27th to their new Homeworld. his prescience was almost legendary he has saved so many lives of his brothers with his forewarning and precognition. His legacy to the Blades of Alaric has been in form of predicting each of his successors to his position from Malte (his direct Successor) to the current Chief Librarian Konrad and beyond. Nico Volk - 1st Master Surgeon Chief Apothecary Nico was another Great Crusade Veteran originally from Terra he had been a member of Jurgens Command Squad/Bodyguard. After the return he was the only choice to become the Chapters Chief Apothecary. Wolfram - 1st Knight Commander of Gefallen Jäger (Fallen Hunters) Voice of New Mannheim A giant of a man was Wolfram, but was soft spoken. He was given the title of Voice of New Mannheim due to his skill in diplomacy, but as with every Astartes his talent was in war. Always to be found at the vanguard of a battle. He carried his huge two Handed Mace a relic of the Great Crusade. He was chosen to succeed Jurgen. Seppel - 1st Knight Commander of Höllenhund (Hell Hounds) The Huntsman - Hound of Alaric If Jurgen is the Mind and Wolfram is Diplomat, Seppel is the Rebel he was very unorthodox in his way of waging war, Seppel was considered very zealous, he knew most of the secrets of his chapter and holds no guilt but he stopped at nothing to hunt down any and all members of the Fallen. He was given the title of The Huntsman after his capture of the Fallen had risen to over ten. The title of The Huntsman is only given to the Knight Commander of the 2nd Company, and only seven have ever earned it. Masters of the Chapter Grand Master - World Protector Grand Cross Lothar (64th Grand Cross) Lothar has been the Grand Cross for over two hundred and twelve years, he became a scout in 512.M41. He was fourteen when he swam out to the Kraken, he survived more to his quick thinking in making himself a suit made from Seatiger skin. His quick thinking and tactical acumen seen him rise up the ranks faster than most. After his years as a scout he was promoted straight into the 4th Company. It was not long before he attracted the attention of the Master Bastian. Within sixty years he was Bastian's First Knight. Then he became the Knight Commander of the 4th by 703.M41 then Grand Cross by 787.M41 When Manfred the 63rd Grand Cross died, Most Masters expected Bastian to succeed him to the surprise of other Masters Bastian and Manfred had already chosen Lothar to be the new Grand Cross. A task he has proven time and time again he was made for. Chief Librarian Scion of Karsten Keeper of the Book of Antiquity Grand Seeker Konrad Like all his predecessors Konrads fate was predicted by the chapters first Chief Librarian Karsten. He also knows who will replace him and when. But this one constant continues to give the chapter hope that in the future the Blades of Alaric will be there to hunt the traitors of the Unforgiven. Konrad given his fate can be considered reckless, but his skills and talents in war make him indispensable. Forever at the forefront of battle, Lothar has relied on Konrads talents over the years. He is also the Keeper of the Book of Antiquity, this contains the name of every Brother of the chapter. Grand Master of Chaplains Master of Traditions Grand Interrogator Gerhold Gerhold has only been the Grand Interrogator for seven years after the previous Grand Interrogator spat on his oaths at the Battle of Geath Prime. Gerhold was the Chaplain of the 4th Company. On promotion to Grand Interrogator he begged Lothar for vengeance against his old Master. His vengeance was granted thirteen years later when Gerhold killed Kolman who had become a Champion of the Changer of Ways. With vengeance stated Gerhold turned back to his duties as the Master of Traditions to make sure the ancient ways of the people of Mannheim are honoured to this day. Chapter Standard Bearer - Voice of Alaric Sacred Lukas Lukas has been the bearer of the Chapters Standard for over two hundred years, he was the the First Sergeant of the 5th Company during a battle supporting Naamans Vengeance. He slayed two Ork Nobz one of which had killed the previous 5th Company Standard Bearer, He carried the 5th Companys banner for the rest of the war. Not once did his beloved 5th Companys banner touch the earth again. The honour to carry the Chapters Sacred Banners was given to him by Lothar after the previous bearer was killed. Whenever the chapter deploys en-mass Lukas can always be seen stood at the side of Lothar, his stern features unmoving like the statues of the chapters heroes of old as the Chapters Banner stands proud in his hands. Master of the Forge Grand Creator Markus Markus is the oldest living marine of the Blades of Alaric, more machine than man now, at nine hundred and thirteen years old. He has been the Grand Creator of the Forge for six hundred and seventy two years. His greatest work has been the making of the Dreadnought chassis he has called Legion it took over three hundred years of work, this chassis has never been occupied. He says only one of the Chapters mightiest heroes can ever be considered to be entombed in it. Chapter Champion Master of the Sword Paladin Lanzo One of the most unique things about the Blades of Alaric is the Rank of Paladin, this can be traced back to the days on Caliban and as far back as Ancient Terra. Lanzo is the current Paladin of the Chapter and he as been for over three hundred years after Bastian was made the Knight Commander of the 1st, he has never been bested by any of his Brothers. Some say he has been the greatest Paladin the Blades ever had. He answers to the Grand Cross only. He is a Paragon of Virtue & Honour, many enemy Champions have fell to his Sword. Every fifty years since he ascended to this position he will take one scout to be his pupil, only the best swordsman will ever be chosen. Lothar in his youth studied under Lanzo, but was still unable to best the Swordmaster. Master Protector Shadow of the Cross Brun Vosberg Brun has been Lothars Master Protector for over one hundred and thirty years when his Mentor died protecting Lothar from a Dark Eldar Dark Lance, Brun was given the honour of becoming the next Shadow, this has been a duty he was born for. It was no mistaking his star was on the rise, he would have been a Knight Commander at the earliest opportunity if he regrets his path it does not show, over the years he has prevented a number of attempts on Lothars life when the enemies of the Chapter have tried to assassinate him. Armed with a Storm Shield and Power Sword and an Ancient Suit of Power Armour, Brun is ever at the Grand Cross's side, many times has an enemy fell to a swift sword strike of this Hero. He is one of the few in the Chapter that can fight Lanzo for any great amount of time before the Paladin wins the duel. Brun has joked that Lanzo is more like an Eldar with his speed. Master of the 1st - Gefallen Jäger (Fallen Hunters) Grand Knight of New Mannhei/b] Knight Commander Bastian If there was ever a Hero of the Blades of Alaric to signify the honour of the Chapter Bastian is it, he has been the Master of the Fallen Hunters for three hundred and forty eight years, he is humble, stoic and patient. He stands as a giant in his Terminator armour, his huge weapon the Axe of Mannheim gripped firmly in his hand as a symbol of office as the Grand Knight of New Mannheim. The weapon was made by Markus himself. Before his ascension to the 1st Company he was the Paladin for over one hundred years. He is instrumental in Lothar becoming Grand Cross an act he is proud of as a father is to a son. Master of the 2nd Knight Commander of Höllenhund (Hell Hounds) The Huntsman - Hound of Mannheim Knight Commander Kaspar If Bastian shows the stoic side of the chapter, Kaspar is is opposite. He is brash, impetuous and hotheaded, it has been joked he is more like an Ork of the Evil Suns than an Astartes of the Emperor. It seems that the rebellious streak of the Master of the 2nd is a common trait going right back to Seppel. And this is a reputation he plays into, he usually takes to battle on his custom bike, tearing head-on into the enemy chasing them down like dogs. His behaviour has been questioned by other Masters of the chapter but nobody can deny his unorthodox tactics can and do win battles. He is also the Grand Champion of the Hunt, an event where other members of the The Dullahan compete hunting down one of the rare predators of Mannheim. Master of the 3rd Master of the Fleet Vengeance Blades Knight Commander Johan Johan was the First Sergeant of the 3rd Company when his mentor and friend was killed during the Hunt of the Occulus, his promotion was never in doubt. He is also the chapters pre-eminent Master of Void War even his mentor would ask for his opinion in Void War. He like all the Masters of the Chapter carries a Weapon from the Order of the Golden Blade. His weapon is a Thunder Hammer dating back into ancient times. Johan's company was the first Company of the Chapter to come into contact with the Tyranids, during a battle with a Hive Tyrant Johan scored the killing blow after Revered Brother Falkenrath broke the creatures back with his power fist. Johan's personal ship is the Mannheim's Pride Master of the 4th Master of the Arsenal Knight Commander Franz Haas Franz is one of the new Masters to come into Command after the Massacre of Gaeth he has taken an Oath of Vengeance against his former brothers. He denies himself any accolades until the the last twenty three traitors are dead. A stubborn man he has come to blows with Master Eckhart when the former commented on his tactics during a recent war-game with the 5th Company it was only by the interruption by Bastian that stopped the disagreement becoming fatal. Bastian could not fault Franz the betrayal of some of his closest brothers has hit him hard. But his bitterness could cause more issues later and for how long Bastian can prevent Franz from being stripped of command is anyones guess. Master of the 5th Master of the Marches Knight Commander Eckhart Haas As the Master of the Marches it is Eckhart's responsibility to make sure the territory of the Blades of Alaric is secure. A task he is well suited to, the 5th Company spends most of its time on the Star Fortress orbiting New Mannheim. Recently he has came to blows with Franz, he worries for his brother as not only are they brothers in arms but brothers by blood, both were accepted into the Chapter when they were fourteen and fifteen respectively. He can only hope his vengeance comes soon before hatred consumes him. Master of the 6th Master of the Watch Knight Commander Merten Merten is another new Master to the Blades of Alaric, he was the a Knight Sergeant in the 1st Company for numerous years. Promotion to the 6th Company Knight Commander was given to him as he was considered a man of vision. He has taken to rebuilding the 6th Company with all his talent. It has been remarked he has the makings of being a Hero of Legend in the Chapters history. Master of the 7th Master Victualler Knight Commander Dietmar Dietmar was given the duties of the Master Victualler after a Eldar plasma grenade destroyed most of his body, he has lost both his legs, most of the left side of his body, he refused to be put in a Dreadnought he still wanted to serve the chapter, his body was wrecked but his mind was sharp as ever. The chapters Master Surgeon Vinzent was able to save him. He is not considered a front line Master any more. His 1st Sergeant Alexis is the Knight Commander in all but name. Master of the 8th Master of Alban Knight Commander Keller Alban is the moon that orbits Mannheim, it is also the home of the 8th & 10th Companies. Keller is the Master of Fortress Alban. Keller is known to be a staunch supporter of the Codex Astartes and with his talent in tactics he makes war games for the other companies to hone their skills whether its in close combat or tank tactics Keller has a plan. Master of the 9th Master of the Kraken The Reapers Knight Commander Gerhard Roth As the Master of the Kraken Gerhard spends most of his time on Mannheim the grizzled old veteran has been in the 9th Company for over four hundred years. He is one of the most unorthodox commanders as he carries a Heavy Bolter as his main weapon, his Weapon of the Order of the Golden Blade is a Combat Knife named The Reapers Edge. He has refused any promotion to any Battle Company, his answer is always he belongs with his brother Devastators. His current command squad has been together for over two hundred years. Master of the 10th Master of the Recruits Knight Commander Henrike Eamon has been the guiding hand in his chapter for over one hundred years, he is known to be one of the finest marksmen of the chapter only other to be better is his protégée Lars. Between Henrike and Keller the Chapters future is in very good hands.