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For some reason, I felt compelled to create the most pathetic Space Marine Chapter EVER, hoping to inspire 4chan to make them the new Pretty Marines. Here goes! NAME: "Grim Knights of Grimm Nights" is the official name; it's written on our underwear. "Grimm Knights of Grim Nights", "Grim Nights of Grimm Knights", and "Grimm Nights of Grim Knights" are common typos. Seriously, what the hell was the First Chapter Master thinking, when he chose so confusing a name? PRIMARCH: Unknown. The Grim Knights of Grimm Nights have claimed to be descendants of each and every one of the Primarchs, at various phases in its history; but the Dark Angels, White Scars, Space Wolves, Imperial Fists, Blood Angels, Iron Hands, Ultramarines, Salamanders, Raven Guard, and all their Successor Chapters deny any bonds of blood with the Grim Knights. GENE-SEED: Ah, you heard of us? From other First Founding Chapters? Oh, happy day, to know our brothers, whoever they are, have acknowledged...! Wait, their records state our gene-seed has degenerated, leaving us no stronger, faster, better, or harder than an unaugmented human? That is a lie! We are Astartes, with the same strength, speed, superiority, and durability as any other Marine! Prove it, how? Crush this monkey skull with my bare hands? Fine, just you watch, I am going to crush it! Just you... Ahhhh! The bone fragments cut my hand! FOUNDING: Second. Hey, Marines in these colors appeared during that time, so the Grim Knights must be of that Founding. What do you mean there were others? The Grey Knights? The Fists Exemplar?! Impossible, the Grim Knights of Grimm Nights are the first and only...! SYMBOL: A white skull... Actually, it's just the Codex symbol designating a Marine who serves a role in the Command squad, worn on the left pauldron. The First Chapter Master had no imagination. COLORS: The gray of bare ceramite. Apothecaries, Chaplains, Librarians, and Techmarines are identified via the color of their pauldrons; they ceased painting their entire suits in the Codex-mandated colors, after this led their battle-brothers to misidentify and then shoot at them, early in the Chapter's history. Chapter Masters have ordered the Chapter to adopt new colors, only for his successor to reverse the orders, due to... SPECIALTY: Hit and run... I think. We charge towards our enemies, point our fingers and shout, "Bang!" to make them flee for their lives. That suffices in one percent of our encounters with hostile forces; in the other 99 percent, the other side will actually shoot at us, and make us flee for our lives. I wish we could afford some boltshells- we would win more often if we could shoot at our enemies- but the Chapter suffered devastating losses in the War of the Beast, and has yet to recover. Any chance you can get us a strike cruiser or ten, maybe even a battle barge? You have to justify your expenses, or the Lord Inquisitor will punish you for wasting the resources of His Immortal Majesty's Most Holy...? BATTLE CRY: We have a battle cry? I mean, "Fight, fight, fight!" No, Brother Largo, "Go for the beer!" is unacceptable as an Astartes battle cry, as it is...! BELIEFS: "To serve the Emperor and His Imperium, like any other of His servants, is the highest honor," according to our current Chapter Master. So please, fellow servants of the Emperor, give us some love and attention! HOMEWORLD: Grimm, a heavily forested planet in Segmentum Obscurus... Wait, it's in Ultima Segmentum now? Are you sure you didn't misread the star charts? What opportunity are you seeking? "Yoink human and material resources from right under the Ultramarines' noses"? "No one will notice"? Are you sure...? Wait, someone has noticed! Flee, flee for our lives! Abandon the thieves and let them pay the price for their own crimes! Anyways, Grimm is a heavily forested planet, with freshwater oceans covering 50% of the planet's surface, allowing its human- and Astartes- inhabitants to subsist on farming, hunting, lumber, and fishing. Those outside the Chapter, maintain a technology level equivalent to that of Holy Terra during 800.M2, with small steam engines and flintlock firearms in common use. The equator has a giant volcano named "Be Careful What You Wish For", which now smokes where the Chapter's first fortress-monastery once stood; please do not ask about it. Grimm has a moon, named "Mother Goose" for the strip mines on its surface, which resemble feathers when viewed from the planetary surface. The Chapter has a shipyard there; after we lost our fleet and our first fortress-monastery, we rebuilt the shipyard into a keep, named, "Sweet Home II". It is very cramped in here- I have to choose between sleeping in my armor, or sleeping atop my armor like it is the galaxy's most uncomfortable futon, as no one has quarters big enough for both a bed and an armor stand- but it is home, just like we named it. RECRUITMENT: The Chapter operates 90 unarmed shuttles, in addition to ten gunships. When a Grim Knights Company needs to recruit and replace its losses, an unarmed shuttle will be painted white, with the words "FREE CANDY!!!" in black block letters on its sides; its crewmen will paint their armor in bright colors. This shuttle will then land near Grimm's human settlements; the crew will attempt to entice children onboard, for abduction and transport to the Sweet Home II. FLEET: The Grim Knights currently operate ten space doggers- is that not a cool name? The space doggers are 440-meter-long Warp-capable trawlers, designed to land on water, pull trawl nets, and process the catch in their onboard canneries; they financially sustain the Chapter. We got a good deal from Rogue Trader Yankee, getting ten ships for ten suits of Terminator armor. Warships? Well, we painted the cranes to look like lances, to scare off pirates; though our best defense is to flee for our lives. Fight the pirates? We can barely afford any boltshells! I am frequently forced to shout, "Bang!" instead of actually shooting anything, and I am a Captain! How are the 50 Marines aboard each trawler, supposed to fight?! Captain Sinistral tried using harsh words to hurt the pirates' feelings, only to get his butt kicked! Yes, Captain Sinistral was an Astartes, what did that have to do with the fight?! You want to know about the ships we were assigned at the Founding? Well, we had a battle barge and nine strike cruisers; we lost them all in the War of the Beast, and the Adeptus Mechanicus refused to replace them. Inquisitor Gerfotton Long demanded and received access to records held aboard the Rogue Trader vessel Pride of the Yankees. According to an entry in Zephyr Yankee's journal, dated 707.M34, the space doggers were exchanged for the Grim Knights' remaining suits of Terminator armor, which were resold to wealthy collectors in Segmentum Obscurus. Zephyr Yankee also provided contact information for the forge world of Hartford, expecting the Grim Knights to sail there so the space doggers may be refitted as gunboats; no further entries mention the new Chapter fleet. Inquisitor Long suspected the Grim Knights' poverty was the reason the Chapter failed to reacquire warships; during his time with the Marines, he noted they were more concerned with earning what they described as "beer money," avoiding battles they deemed unprofitable. The Imperium was fortunate the Grim Knights did not resort to piracy, as the Marines repeatedly demonstrated a cowadice that would make them difficult to pin down and eradicate. HISTORY: The history of the Grim Knights of Grimm Nights is one ignored, overlooked, and outright forgotten, despite the Marines' efforts to draw attention and win fame- even infamy, as when they claimed to be "secretly descended from one of the Unknown Primarchs" in an attempt to appear "mysterious" a millennium before the Age of Apostasy. The Grim Knights have garrisoned Grimm since the Great Scouring. The Chapter claims it lacks records for how this came to be; during my time there, I suggested to various Grim Knights the Chapter conquered the planet during the Great Crusade, seized it from another faction during the Horus Heresy, was entrusted with it for safekeeping, or was given it in payment for some service, only for the listeners to shrug and say, "Eh, maybe." (The Grim Knights' apathy towards this critical phase of their own history, infuriates me.) The planet's human inhabitants lack any records older than 2000 years old, as their low technology level allows the ink with which they write records, and the paper on which these are written, to fade and rot away. The Chapter attempted to return to the limelight during the War of the Beast, sending its entire fleet towards Holy Terra, only to lose the ships in the Warp, making no contribution to the Imperium's eventual victory. The Grim Knights who stayed behind to garrison Grimm, held a "contest of fortitude and strength" in which each Chapter Master candidate for the position would drink a half-liter measure of beer before arm wrestling another candidate, repeating these actions until they determined a winner. Tryhard Cork won the contest, and promotion from Sergeant to Chapter Master. Cork's first order as Chapter Master, was to rebuild the Chapter fleet- within a fortnight, disregarding the fact a fully equipped and supplied shipyard required years of work to build a frigate, to say nothing of strike cruisers and battle barges several times a frigate's size. The Adeptus Mechanicus was unwilling or unable to answer Chapter Master- who disregarded the time required to send and receive astropathic communications- so Cork decided to perform a "luck boosting" ritual and "wish" for the lost ships' return. The Chapter's remaining records stated the ritual involved binge drinking; I suspect forbidden Warpcraft and the involvement of Warp entities, as Warp energy emanates from the volcano that erupted within the Grim Knights' first fortress-monastery. Cork, the Grim Knights' senior officers, and the fortress-monastery were destroyed when a space hulk composed of the Chapter fleet's shipwrecks, crashed into them, creating the volcano the surviving Marines named "Be Careful What You Wish For" as a reminder. Subsequently, the greater Imperium forgot the Grim Knights; the only ones who even remembered the Chapter planet, were Rogue Traders of the Yankee dynasty, who sold the planet's lumber, fish and game offworld, in exchange for mundane goods the relatively primitive human inhabitants considered rare luxuries. In M35, the Grim Knights convinced the Rogue Traders to provide space doggers with which to form a new Chapter fleet and, in Grim Knights Captain Siggebt Serlo's words, "Set sail for adventure! And hopefully, some attention. Oh, and beer money! We cannot forget the beer money!" If the cowardice the Grim Knights demonstrated now was any indication, the Marines likely avoided fighting any glorious battles that could have won them the attention they desired from the Imperium and its enemies, forcing the Chapter to languish in obscurity. Its members resorted to claiming, "The Grim Knights are secretly descended from one of the Unknown Primarchs," when other Chapters asked for their identities; in Captain Serlo's words, "That made us mysterious, and people want to know more about us!" This desperate attempt to draw attention- even in the form of an Inquisitorial investigation- ended when Inquistor Ronan Allenson laughed in then Chapter Master Yiell James' face, before ordering, "Stop wasting the precious time of His Immortal Majesty's Most Holy Inquisition." During the Age of Apostasy, the Grim Knights lost nine Chapter Masters in nine years, due to a shameful act the Chapter refused to acknowledge or even remember; I discovered this by chance, as the papers on which this secret history was written, were stored in a refresher, apparently for use as toilet tissue. (To avoid alerting my hosts, I told the Grim Knights I was replacing the tissues they used, with a brand that would not irritate my skin. The Marines expressed no doubt toward my motivations, suggesting they were gullible fools- or skilled actors, directing me towards false evidence to discredit me- I find these possibilities equally disturbing.) In M36, Grim Knights Chapter Master Ward Matthias claimed, "The Chapter was secretly Founded with Traitor gene-seed." As it was fashionable to claim a "shameful past" for which one must "make restitution" during the Age of Apostasy, Chapter Master Matthias likely wished to appear "edgy," and draw attention. The first to answer such claims was the Emperor's Children warband "Emperor's Bollocks", which attempted to make the Grim Knights worship the same false god as its members; this attempt ended when Chapter Master Matthias attempted to "get the ultimate high" of what I assume is the false god's regard, by inserting an atomic artillery shell into his large intestine; the shell detonated, killed the Chapter Master, destroyed his command squad and the Emperor's Bollocks warband. The Grim Knights promoted Goto Cassern from Lieutenant to Chapter Master. Cassern did not rescind his predecessor's claims, possibly due to lack of interest; the former Vanguard Veteran's journals expressed no interest in anything but multilasers, which he forced upon the Chapter, despite the weapon not being included in a Codex Chapter's armory, making Marines unfamiliar with their use and maintenance. When the Iron Warriors warband "Blades of Ruin" launched a slave raid against Grimm, Chapter Master Cassern challenged the enemy warlord to single combat, WIP

This is something that begun as something small where I needed a Chapter that did not really have anything really written about them for interaction with an fully fanmade Chapter for a fic in the work, and it snowballed into something bigger than just some notes, so I decided to post what have jutted down for others to comment. The base for my fanlore is the von Kaus family from the adventure Scenic Dunnsmouth to Lamentations of the Flame Princess because their coat-of-arm is a Pegasus and there existed a name-and-little-more Chapter called Black Pegasi. Since one of the plot points of Scenic Dunnsmouth involves time problems should I ad some kind of time-based problems for them or have them interacting with Ordo Chronos but I don’t have any idea how (beside making them Ordo Chronos de facto Chamber Militant but I don’t know if that’s a good idea). Black Pegasi Chapter + an older Chapter; unknown geneseed origin or Founding, but the oldest known mention of them is from pre-6th Founding. + Symbol is a black Pegasus rampant on white (usually with a green frame), or on green and white. + Their armour has white as the main colour, the Aquila/Imperialis, the power pack, shoulder plate trim, both knee guards and both feet are green. - horns or wing decorations on their helmets are common among higher officers - green tabards, robes or kontusz are common + proud, honourable, and respectable, but their pride, honour and respectability is in many ways their armour since they have gone on bad times and maybe have some problem in their semi-near history; at the same time they are insular, secretive and conservative. + much of their technology/equipment is old and well maintained. Their ships are clean and somewhat lacking in ornamentation. Has a “we have not much but at least our home is clean and respectable” attitude. – lots of Mark 5 n 6 armour parts. At the same time there are parts of their fortress-monastery closed away because they are damaged and they have not the time/resources to repair them, so it’s a bit of question of showing a clean front (possibly just for themselves since they don’t have many visitors) while there are problems that they hideaway. - Possibly is part of the reason why they use much older equipment, instead of having it locked away for special situation, is that they have not gotten much new equipment (because of reasons) and are to prideful to ask around or for help. + lost lots of marines in the defence of their homeworld (and possibly in earlier incidents) and their rebuilding would probably go faster if they did not constantly send out marines because of old depts, word of honour, and calls for help. Their honour and pride demand that they send brothers to them all. + Lingua - Ordensmeister = Chapter-master - Scriptor = Librarian - Ordenspriester = chaplain - Kompaniecaptain = captain - Kompanien = company - Kommandant = commander - Fähnrich = Sergant - Schiffsführer/Schiffsführerin = the chapter-serf who captains a void-ship - blood-brother = battle-brother, from that they are brother that shed blood together - knappe = squire + Name (they keep their old, pre-Astartes names): Herman, Heinrich, Dietyr, Ivanovik, Johann, Bernard, Klaus, Matthias, Frank, Erik, Adolph, Niklas, Lukas, Wolfgang, Jaeger, Ulric, Frederik, Otto, Grigori, + returning symbols (or possibly company markings) - A black cock vigilant - the Pegasus constellation - the grim reaper - the spade [as in the card symbol] - armour area covered in a fusilly bendwise pattern, in argent and azure. - a panthier rampant in blue – a "panthier" (pronounced as in French), is a mixture of a dragon and a lion. + Looks: - many of them have sideburns - moustaches are not uncommon, many of them waxed and with upward pointing ends + suffer from a dark secret in their past, either is something long ago and only truly known to the masters of the chapter, or something that happened recent-ish (or is old but was unearthed recent-ish) and known to all who was there. In either case, those not in the know still feel a sense of guilt about something that their elders refuse to talk about and a sense of fear of being found out by others. Possible shames: Planet: Kaus + the home and recruitment world for the Black Pegasi + was notably damaged during a recent-ish attack on it, with tsunamis, rising oceans and damaged weather. Currently there is some weather problems with lots of rain, leading to many areas being covered in dead trees and other vegetation, killed off by water sickness. Lots of, relatively, new swampland, deltas, and lakes where there used to be forests, grassland or settlements. The planet has within the last two generations stabilized (more or less) so new swampland, lakes, or similar is not created or expanded constantly, but avalanches because of too much rain over is still common. + lots of swamps, wetlands, deltas and similar. Ruins of old structures can be seen sticking up from some shorelines or lakes. + Mostly Central European in feeling with some other areas, take a look at any of the cultures living near swampland all over Europe and in post-colonial but pre-20th-centery USA. + For inspiration: Universal and Hammer Horrors small European villages and towns + Names are Germanic or Slavic - male example names: Herman, Heinrich, Dietyr, Ivanovik, Johann, Bernard, Klaus, Matthias, Frank, Erik, Adolph, Niklas, Lukas, Wolfgang, Jaeger, Ulric, Frederik, Otto, Grigori, - female example names: Ludmilla, Maxine, Klara, Klaudia, Gertrude, Anastasia, Gunhild, Ulrica, Erika, Birgitta, Brunhilde, Dorothea, Maryla, Jadwiga, Brygida, Frederika, Planet: DFD-002 A cold planet of mostly mountains and high plateaus, rising up from a cold, dark ocean. Shows all signs of once being a cemetery world with much of the high plateaus, and parts of the other lands given over to cemeteries, graveyards, mausoleums and such. Catacombs honeycomb the near underground of most plateaus, with some of the catacombs going deep, deep into the ground. Something happened that made people stop sending their dead there. All the official maps shows it as an restricted world and all the official sub-sector and sector papers have nothing on it before its classification as a restricted world. Something have made the Black Pegasi to constantly keep at least ten marines on guard on the planet, maybe the same something that stopped people from sending their dead. Spending time on the high plateaus or in the mountains invite nightmares, the natives live in the lowlands, but are still hunted by bad sleep. Marines are as haunted by the nightmares as normal humans but their psycho-indoctrination and transhuman psycho-physiology makes them unaffected by it, at least for as long as their vigil last. Except for a few, who crack and go mad. Most of those madmen are either put down, or stripped of their armour and gear and let lose to live as mad hermits on the surface. All who has been selected for a possible future as a Chaplain have to spend a vigil on DFD-002, to make certain that their psychic are as strong as needed. The planet is of interest for Ordo Chrono for some reason and the Black Pegasi that stand watch send regular reports to the Ordo (or one of its members) – likely those reports go unread and unseen since the Ordo’s members all have (supposedly) vanished. + the natives have an overall technology of 19th century countryside, fragments of STC-technology can be found here and there. - are armed with crossbows and backloaded one-shot guns. - have biblical-ish names, ex. Ezekiel, Isaiah, Seth, Enoch, Enos, Irad, Kenan, Mehujael, Mahalalel, Methushael, Jared, Adah, Lamech, Zillah, Enoch, Jabal, Jubal, Tubal, Naamah, Methuselah, Lamech, Noah, Shem, Japheth, Iscah, Jecholiah, Merab, Atarah, Ham, + What is it that happened that made the planet restricted and forgotten? * DFD-002 is inspiered by the Lamentations of the Flame Princess adventure Death Frost Doom since it had some of the elements that fit with was already established regarding the Black Pegasi

THE STRIGOI CHAPTER NAME: ............... STRIGOI FOUNDING: ................... UNKNOWN [EVIDENCE INDICATES A PRE-M.35 FOUNDING] CHAPTER WORLD/DEPLOYMENT: ... MARAGRAD/CRUSADE CHAPTER FORTRESS MONASTERY: ......... ARX CREPUSCULA [LUNAR FORTRESS] GENE-SEED (PREDECESSOR): .... BLOOD ANGELS KNOWN DESCENDANTS: .......... NONE "Come not between the Dragon and His Wrath." - Strigoi Chapter Motto Terse of word and fell of deed, the Strigoi are distinguished by their potential for wanton carnage. Hubristic in their belief to fulfil the Emperor’s vision for the Blood, they are pariahs of the Sanguinary Brotherhood and parley with its members only under the direst of circumstances. Rare is the general who serves alongside this Chapter of their own volition and still, there are those who would petition them for aid. In spite of a lack of sodality, these Space Marines can be trusted to uproot and destroy the foes of mankind utterly, forever questing, restless like their fabled namesake. War must be waged with neither pause nor hesitation - Angels, after all, were not made for kindness. Whether time will make fools of Sanguinius’ unruly children or justify them in their bearing remains to be decided. ORIGINS Unknown Strigoi Astartes, ca. M.38 - Remembrancer's Sketch Of Wayward Sons To seek out solid information about the past of this distant Chapter is to invite disappointment. Tenuous cooperation with the Adeptus Administratum has yielded the most rudimentary of data and even the tomes penned to commemorate the Strigoi’s creation have been found redacted, the lore held within lost like so many other works of this darkest age. Although the hope of one day restoring such precious knowledge is a feeble one at best, those who yearn for it are not restricted to baseless supposition. Ten millennia of historical records, after action reviews and ancillary documents have left observant investigators with a hidden paper trail from which some enlightenment may yet be gleaned. An apocryphal account detailing hitherto undiscovered parts of the IX Primarch’s legacy, the Insignium Sanguis has remained under limited access since its discovery, being the result of research independent from Imperial authorities. The sheer wealth of information it provides cannot be denied, however, and so the work has been used in official dissertations despite repeated doubts in its authenticity. Its pages are the only ones to mention at any length an order of Space Marines “daubed in Unification’s stormy grey, for the Great Angel’s crimson was theirs to wear no longer.” To them, it ascribes “six hundred and sixteen greater brutalities committed In Nomine Imperatoris, lamented by the Adeptus Terra but needed one and all.” Many are the wars whose very existence now stands to question, supported by nothing save anecdotal evidence found beneath the Imperial Palace and, it is said, the honours inscribed upon the oldest of the Strigoi’s ancient dreadnought armours. Chapter history proper begins in M.35 as they were discovered fighting insurgencies following the secession of Nova Terra. Given their complete ignorance of these warriors’ mere existence (one among countless victims of Imperial bureaucracy, no doubt), the High Senate dispatched an Inquisitorial envoy to find and learn more of this unknown quantity. Their efforts were met with little success as they could barely determine a Blood Angels descent and purported ident-code (Cross-ref.: ‘Chapter 101’) before the Astartes departed, decrying the entire affair as “idle prattle.” So has most known intelligence on the Strigoi been gathered: collected piecemeal in the wake of unnumbered battlefields. It is not the only custom born that day, for their apparent skill at slaying traitors did not go unnoticed. Stamping out these would-be revolutions has caused the Chapter to hold a special grudge for those enemies hiding among subjects loyal to the Golden Throne; a hatred the Lords of the Imperium do not refuse to call upon. HOME WORLD Maragrad - The Crucible The Chapter is based in the Marag System, deep within the northern galactic arm. Nearly bereft of all sentient life, it serves as an ideal stronghold for a brotherhood as fiercely independent as theirs. Only the system’s eponymous capital planet provides ample ground for mankind to prosper, making it the Strigoi’s primary source of recruits. Of its history before the coming of the Chapter, little is known. Evidence seems to suggest that the star system was settled by human colonists not long before the dawn of the Age of Strife. It must have been this infamous era of warp-borne madness and burning worlds that tore the fledgling civilisation asunder and ground it down to its primitive remains. Maragrad would be rediscovered towards the end of the 30th millennium by Imperial expeditionaries. Having made the arduous journey into Ultima Segmentum, these dutiful pioneers lingered long enough to record their findings before leaving for the frontlines of the unfolding Horus Heresy, the world slipping into obscurity for centuries more. The Strigoi found a domain of gloaming beauty to call their own, untouched by the hand of industry and bedecked with mist-laden forests. Such worlds had been rare even in the days of the Great Crusade, and still, none within the Chapter spared a thought on their unusual find. Their attention lay beneath the sea of green, where a deadly clash of man and monster moulds prime material for the Adeptus Astartes. A world that fights human settlement with tooth and claw, Maragrad breeds a hardy people. Carving out meagre lives in the shadow of vicious nocturnal megafauna has evolved the native clansfolk into natural-born killers that rely on each other for strength in numbers, the one advantage left to them come Old Night’s end. To hunt their erstwhile predators has grown from mere necessity to become an integral part of their society where the creatures’ hides have become a sign of status, worn by none but the greatest of Maragrad’s champions. Such a warlike culture spoke to the grey-clad Space Marines as today, the death world’s young vie to be reforged as mighty soldiers of the skies. A Fortress Between the Stars Barring their recruitment drives, the Astartes have little contact with the Maragrans. Recluses by choice, they make a quality out of solitude, thoroughly illustrated by the bulwark of stone and metal that is their fortress-monastery. The Arx Crepuscula (Low Gothic transl.: Duskhold) is no creation of the Strigoi, its artless spires and black-metal ramparts having existed long before they first laid anchor at their new home world’s sole moon. Initially identified via auspex as a cluster of underground storage facilities, subsequent expeditions performed by veteran kill teams revealed the satellite had been hollowed out to accommodate a Terran star fort of ancient provenance. Though little power coursed through its systems and no trace of the structure’s occupants remained, the discovery was deemed a sign of the Emperor’s favour. Chapter 101 claimed their prize by right of conquest. Centuries later, the Duskhold still stands firm as a symbol of Imperial supremacy. That it is confined to Maragrad’s orbit does not impede its deadliness, far from it: no effort was spared to ensure the monastery’s defences can stymie any threat to the home world at considerable range. Its firepower is controlled by a small army of serfs, indentured menials that manage the daily goings-on of the keep and oversee the maintenance of it and its contents. The Hold is scarcely attended by more than a handful of Marines as endless war demands their attention elsewhere. This may go some way in explaining why many of the halls and passages remain unexplored to this day - indeed, with the Chapter preoccupied, hardly anyone has dared descend into the moon’s bottomless depths over the millennia. Of those driven enough to try, not all returned; their lives ending in one of the unnavigable, labyrinthine corridors. A fortunate few would see the light of day once more, however, sometimes clutching fragments of technology thought lost to time. Marag’s riches are kept far away from prying eyes not simply by means of the Duskold’s blistering weapons batteries; the space near the galactic core is also ripe with cosmic phenomena, making the knowledge of safe travelling routes an invaluable resource closely guarded by the Chapter. The System has remained unconquered for over five thousand years - nonetheless, there was certainly no shortage of attempts. GENE-SEED AND BELIEFS Addendum: The Waning On the fading of the self, the rebirth of heroes lost and the looming spell of death. +++ More to come. +++ Thirst Unslaked Sanguinius’ genetic template provides his sons with qualities unique among the Adeptus Astartes. The spawn of the IX Legion have proven themselves tenacious, uncannily resilient and possessed of the singular ability to recruit from almost anywhere as the Blood Angels themselves exemplify by transforming the rad-scarred nomads of Baal Secundus into potent warriors cast in their master’s fair image. Of course it is their more aberrant quirks for which the bloodline is famous; the twin flaws that have coloured their history for millennia. Most prominent of these is the Red Thirst, that primal craving for flesh and blood which has to be held in check constantly lest its bearers tear themselves apart. The Black Rage on the other hand manifests itself at the end of a battle-brother’s lifespan. Simultaneously the strongest tie to their Primarch and the greatest burden they possess, it forces them to experience their progenitor’s final moments in a delirium from which there is no escape. It is a wicked irony, then, that their very flesh ensures that these Space Marines die as they lived; caked in gore, screaming oaths to a father that cannot hear them. In the Strigoi, the Blood Angels and their ilk show themselves inextricably linked to their gene-wrought nature as they feed on the viscera of the battlefield dead. Indulging this archaic carno-ritualism likely provided the catalyst for their own mutations, rendering the curse in their genes visible to all. Several appear strained by some unseen effort as their faces, so famously reminiscent of their Primarch’s features, are marred by pallid, craggy skin. The more poetic among their censors have spoken of their ancestors’ sins writ large, whereas others see unforgivable deviancy in an order of unsavoury prominence. The somber practices of the Chapter are no mere attempt to still their urges. Cause for the excessive bloodletting is their belief that the Red Thirst is not part of their curse, but a boon bestowed upon them by the Emperor of Mankind. Knowing that His Imperium had need of both the cruel and the just, He charged them to visit terrible fury upon the alien, the daemon and the heretic, exacting the will needed to restrain their inner brute once the day is won. Such a path holds opportunities for glory and madness in equal fashion, but the Strigoi march on undeterred. Sanguinius’ blood boils in their veins by design, and to neglect its call is to neglect their duty. Credo Martialis To the dismay of Imperial officials, Strigoi ordinance does not halt at the defilement of enemy remains, dictating the consumption of their own slain in a morbid show of ancestor worship. Their memories preserved through the ill-understood workings of the omophagea, the fallen are granted a measure of immortality, an eternal life more vivid than the likes of unread records or corrupted pict-feeds could provide. Only the death of the last Strigoi could end their Chapter’s legacy: an ever-evolving archive of battlefield experience. An all-encompassing fixation on martial prowess has saturated most of the Strigoi’s myriad traditions. This is hardly a surprise given their belligerent nature, yet easily missed as their savage get belies any sophistication. From brief periods of meditation to the furor of live-fire drills, every facet of life within the Chapter is shaped by the desire to fashion battle-brothers with unparalleled control over their dark humours. Of particular note is the regular custom of gladiatoria, ritual combat serving not only to establish individual skill-at-arms but as an outlet for the mania perpetually gnawing at the Chapter’s spirits. Death is no stranger among the contestants despite the duels’ cathartic purpose, a circumstance that cannot be explained away entirely by debts of honour or slights avenged. As a Space Marine’s body is covered in battle scars and devotional tattoos, so too does their armour affirm their many achievements. All Strigoi are encouraged to add to and display their personal heraldry, adorning their suits with trophies, campaign badges and kill-tallies. The resulting prestige and reputation are fundamental to their warrior culture, pertaining directly to a Brother-Marine’s influence among his kin. Crude as it might appear, the system fosters bonds between Strigoi officers and their men as with the right crusade honour, even a humble brother of the line could have the ear of his Captain. The Chapter’s dogged single-mindedness has seen them disgraced among their fellow brothers of the Blood, a testament to the potential of Sanguinius’ gene-line squandered in the name of blind fanaticism. It is a cross they bear with bitter pride, unfaltering in their duty but disquieted all the same. Demi-Squad Matei - Strigoi 9th Company, 1st Squad (Tactical) TACTICS AND ORGANISATION Addendum: Chapter Arsenal Every war the Imperium wages is an endeavour of herculean proportions. To prevail, its armies need appropriate equipment and steady supply lines. Being a crusading force, the Strigoi are particularly hard-pressed to meet these requirements during their long voyages through hostile territory. As a result, the Chapter’s armoury is highly compartmentalised. Their strike cruisers and battle barges maintain separate stocks of transport vehicles, bikes and assorted materiel, leaving the great vaults of the Duskhold rather empty. The bulk of these items is produced by the forge-wrights of Medea Prime, a Mechanicus-held world bound to the Chapter through treatises recalled by none save their venerable dreadnoughts. Only through the artifice of the Medean synod are the Strigoi able to procure the arms they desire, preferring resilience and ease of repair over the conveniences of more sophisticated wargear. Especially noteworthy in this regard is their impressive fleet of Land Raiders, allowing each line company to call upon a number of these long-lived lords of war. Grit and Ferocity Any conflict involving the Strigoi is an unsubtle and grisly affair. Their inherited bloodlust compels them to seek their foes out as fast as possible, rending them to pieces in the mayhem of close combat. Most often, this translates into massed infantry assaults supported by mobile heavy weaponry, making rapid personal transportation crucial to the Chapter’s battle doctrine. Drop pods, Impulsors and even flights of Thunderhawks weathering opposing firepower before disgorging squads of Space Marines at close range are a sight most familiar to onlookers. Line units carry additional melee armaments as a result, wielding an assortment of chainblades, serrated combat knives and short-range pistols as often as boltguns and -rifles. Jump pack-equipped troops enjoy particular eminence, their speed weaponizing the bearer’s sheer mass to crush their mark underfoot. Intense as they are, these deployments leave any mortal allies far behind them; a consequence that serves the Chapter well enough. The Strigoi form the tip of the Imperium’s sword, striking a single, crippling blow that leaves their victims helpless in the face of imminent annihilation. Deep inside enemy lines, the warriors of the Chapter gladly undo the mental locks keeping their Thirst in check, wreaking havoc with an apathy for collateral damage that borders on the callous. Nobler souls may have attempted to dispel these tales, denounce them as insult to their honour or silence the defamers. Entirely unphased by such claims, the Strigoi embraced their ill repute, now synonymous with bloody subjugation. Yet the most dreadful aspect of their craft is witnessed after the fighting is done, when the Marines gather the bodies of the slain and their priests recite the litany of purification. Only then do they give way to the acts earning them the byname Voratores Mortem - the Eaters of the Dead. Hierarchy of the Host Over the course of their long and storied existence, the chapter has developed an organisational structure divergent from codex standard. Based on the guidelines presented by Primarch Guilliman, the Strigoi are divided into ten companies, each with a nominal strength of 100 Space Marines. Of these, eight are outfitted as battle companies, a circumstance attributed to the Strigoi’s pragmatism and insatiable hunger for war. Providing them with additional flexibility, the adjustments allow the Space Marines to hold multiple fronts scattered throughout the galaxy, scout- and veteran formations being deployed as the situation demands. These are ideal conditions. In truth, the Strigoi are continuously undermanned as they endure the ravages of blood and battle, amounting to less than 700 full-fledged Astartes. Battle companies are fleeting things, fracturing and absorbing one another as their numbers wax and wane. There is little to be done against this severe attrition bar upholding an aggressive recruiting policy spanning all their tributary fiefs. Maragran culture may consider conscription an honour but from the noisome hives of Vilis to the scorched plains of Daumathar, rancour reigns the day ships bearing skulls and blood drops hang in the sky. Unique Formations Like their progenitors, the Strigoi field an array of specialist units and officers. Being of a less spiritual bent, the distinction of these Marines is invariably owed to their exceptional characteristics and unusual obligations. None of them truly operate outside of the command hierarchy of the Chapter, though all stand - in different ways - alone. The Impalers - Observed to act as the equivalent of the Sanguinary Guard, the Impalers have devolved into an instrument of violence rather than virtue. Their members are undoubtedly the Chapter’s most murderous elements brought together, armed and armoured with the finest wargear available. Impaler charges are fearsome things accompanied by frenzied howls and a thirst for blood that comes too easily to even these Astartes, a trait that has caused the assault cadre to remain a source of concern despite their undeniable efficiency. The Wardens - Informally referred to as Opsequiari, these sullen figures are much akin to the Chaplains of other Space Marine Chapters. Alongside serving in their roles as war-priests, ritual guides and retainers of the Strigoi’s most precious relics, it is they who must watch their fellows for traces of madness. In this matter they are the sole authority within the Chapter, expunging rogue elements at their own discretion. A Warden must therefore be a brother of unbreakable resolve, else the weight of his duties utterly crushes him. The Death Company - The Chapter’s afflicted are called the Morituri, for the sentence of all who wear red saltires is death. Dispersed among the Chapter’s strike forces, each group is overseen by a Warden intended to escort them into their last battle. With the readiness at which Strigoi officers throw these lost souls into ‘Forlorn Hope’-assaults, estimating their strength is nigh-impossible. Some have looked to the pits of the Chapter’s fortress-monastery in search of answers, its darkness parted by the fitful cries of caged beasts... INSIGNIUM ASTARTES Brother Alek - Strigoi 2nd Company, 5th Squad (Tactical) Appearance Strigoi power armour typically bears the grey of unpainted ceramite mixed with fields of white, black and gunmetal. Even with the significance of their chosen colours - or lack thereof - unknown, they underline the Astartes’ cold, disparaging demeanour. Conversely, the rest of their heraldry betrays the beast beneath. The rugged, bullish type V warplate they favour emanates the same violence the Chapter has quickly become synonymous with, its characteristic molecular bonding studs having found their way onto many other suits since. The beauteous blood drop pendants, icons and trappings of the Angels are made symbols of their sinister intent, joined by grim reminders of mortality. Flensed, hollow-eyed skulls are chained to belts and shoulder plates, oath papers and armorials promise an unquiet death to those who would fall upon the realms of man. True to their ad-hoc nature, the Strigoi have long ago resolved to use only the most crucial markings to denote their strategic disposition. Usually borne on the right pauldron are the appropriate symbols for either veteran status, battleline-, close support- or heavy support duty while company designations are foregone completely. Squad numeration is limited to the respective sergeants’ armour, lessening the effort of merging depleted squads and serving to identify unit leaders. Chapter Badge The sigil of the Strigoi is the Vultus Monstrum. Displayed here is the visage of the victorious predator, tearing its eyes from its quarry to stare down another adversary - a warning and an unspoken challenge both. NOTABLE PERSONNEL Hidden Content Ionel Ardelan - Commander of the Strigoi, ‘The Graven Man’, Archein of Contempt A veteran of more than four hundred years, Ionel Ardelan is the Strigoi’s stern-faced Chapter Master, Lord of the Duskhold and Domnitor of Marag. He is the eighty-first heir to the position, the most recent in a long line of butcher-kings shrouded in death and infamy. His word has killed worlds, burned species and ground empires to dust. Ardelan was recruited from amidst the press-gangs of Vilis before being transferred to the monastery for induction. Braving the rigorous tests of mind and body required of Strigoi neophytes, he began his tenure in the ranks of the scout company. Ardelan would soon make his talent for assault tactics known throughout the far-flung fleets of the Chapter, surviving several of their fiercest campaigns in recent history. Such actions include the Broken Cross, the Glorian Insurrection and the Third Althoran War, over which he held full operational command as Captain of the 9th Company. Any other virtue Ardelan possessed had little effect on the vast cult of personality his brothers built around him - befitting an icon of the Strigoi, his sheer martial prowess begot his exalted position. Ardelan donned the mantle of Chapter Master following the Arclight Reclamation, a boarding action in the year 857.M41. Having cornered Iron Warriors of the 165th Grand Battalion, the Strigoi led a costly attack to seize a ship stolen in the wake of the Great Scouring. He rallied his severely decimated troops for a final push onto the command deck, completing the mission and avenging his predecessor Vallen, slain early on in the fighting. As the traitors broke away, the right of succession fell to Ardelan, who immediately set to rebuilding his Chapter’s strength. And rebuild he did. Decades after his ascension, the deeds of Commander Ardelan have grown to assume a near-legendary status among his warriors. His swordsmanship, exemplary by any standard, is only eclipsed by his expertise as a general. Perhaps it is natural for a descendant of the Blood Angels that this becomes particularly apparent on the offensive, where Ardelan applies attack patterns of his own making to combine inhuman ferocity and calculated violence in an implacable show of force. Even off the field, the Chapter Master surrounds himself with war. Sequestered away aboard the Arclight, that venerable battle barge he himself saw restored to the Imperium, he reviews casualty reports, coordinates fleet movements and receives uncounted pleas for aid. Those close to Ardelan can see the marks of his solemn burden; a haunted air to his piercing gaze, a sense of foreboding that accompanies every curt order given. Rumours of damning truths and gifts of foresight have persisted for ages, but if the dour Commander truly has been privy to some secret prophecy, it is impossible to ascertain whether he labours to fulfil it, or stave it off…