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++Founding++ Ultima ++Progenitor Chapter++ [REDACTED] ++Role++ Urban Pacification and Proto-Heresy Cleansing ++Homeworld++ None. Fleetbound, Company Level or Smaller Deployments ++++++ Following the events of the Fall of Cadia and the formation of the Great Rift, the Inquisition found their forces spread thin on the ground. Administratum auditing and Inquisitorial reports indicate a significant likelihood of increased heretical ecclesiastical and political organizing, as civilians "lacking in sufficient willpower and courage" begin to doubt the strength and correctness of the Imperial cause. As a result, permission was granted for the requisition of a new Chapter of Astartes from Guilliman's Ultima Founding. The Shepherds Ad Astra would be tasked with rooting out and destroying cults or organizations deemed likely to result in widespread civil unrest. In cases where Red Hunter or Grey Knight involvement is considered too overt or too catastrophic to social order, and Officio Assassinorum agents are unable to be requisitioned, the Shepherds Ad Astra are deployed. A typical Shepherd deployment is headed by, or nominally under the command of, an Inquisitor of the Ordo Hereticus. Cult meetings are infiltrated, members are identified, and compounds are put down in swift, brutal fashion. Particularly insidious groups are handled by a strict "One-Degree" policy, whereby all personally identifiable associates of cult members are pacified subsequent to the initial action. Transported via Strike Cruisers, the Shepherds almost exclusively make use of Phobos Armor and its derivatives, cutting cultist defenders down with disciplined bolter fire from Infiltrators and Eliminators, while Reivers breach holdouts and chase down fleeing members. The Shepherds Ad Astra are primarily composed of foundlings on Hive Worlds left in the care of Ecclesiarchy, selected by specially assigned Inquisitorial agents. This has caused a not-insignificant degree of resentment among members of the Schola Progenium, who view the chapter as stealing their best potential recruits out from under them. Likewise stormtroopers and inquisitorial agents often see Shepherds as unwelcome rivals. ++++++ Hey gang! For my first post, I wanted to show off my custom chapter, the Shepherds Ad Astra; Inquisitorial attack dogs, massacre boys, unquestionably responsible for an unpleasant number of innocent casualties but also unquestionably responsible for keeping numerous worlds out of the hands of the GSC, T'au, or Chaos. I'll be posting some fluff for them, as well as a proper color chart, heraldry, and the characters in the Third Company I've decided will make up my physical army. Thanks for reading, and I'd always welcome feedback!