The Black Phantoms

[Alkana]

The Black Phantoms

Origins and History

The Battle for Senobius II

In 385.M41, the chapter traveled to the Segmentum Tempestus to answer a desperate plea for help from Imperial forces on the planet Senobius II. A cohort of Iron Warriors had attacked the world to search for a powerful chaos artifact. The entire chapter participated in this war and they were assisted by mysterious black armored Dark Angels and Inquisitorial forces in addition to the Imperial Guard already on the planet. The Black Phantoms fought on the front lines against the traitor forces for months before the Iron Warriors were defeated. The forces of the Imperium paid a high cost for their victory. The Black Phantoms lost the 3rd and 4th companies and their 1st, 9th, and 5th companies were nearly destroyed. The Inquisitional forces, led by Inquisitor Lord Syrus Montoya I and Grand Master Zophai of the Grey Knights, were similarly mauled, as were the Imperial Guard regiments that had been on the planet since the start of the attack. Strangely, the Dark Angels only lost a few squads of marines during the entire war. With the battle on Senobius won, the chapter prepared to return to Februus. But the war was far from over.

As the chapter prepared to leave Senobius II, Syrus Montoya approached Orlando Marr, the newly elected Chapter Master of the Black Phantoms, and requested the chapter's assistance in hunting down the Dark Angels, who, according to Syrus, had obtained the artifact that the Iron Warriors were searching for. Marr refused the request at first, insisting that the chapter needed to rest and replenish their ranks before beginning another war. It wasn't until the Dark Angels fired on the chapter's battle barge that Orlando agreed to help Montoya. Marr kept the second and sixth companies with him while the rest of the chapter returned home to begin the long process of bringing new recruits into the chapter. The Grey Knights and Black Phantoms fought the Dark Angels on Senobius VIII for weeks before the turncoats were driven out of the system. Syrus and his Grey Knights survived and pursued the Dark Angels and the remaining Black Phantoms finally began the long journey home. However, due to turbulence in the warp, years went by before Marr's forces saw Februus again. When they arrived back on their homeworld, the Black Phantoms that had been sent home before had successfully recruited almost two hundred more marines.

The Black Phantoms first appeared during the Age of Apostasy. While the Imperium was falling apart from their internal wars, the Black Phantoms crusaded around the galaxy in an attempt to stop the seemingly endless horde of monsters, traitors, and aliens that were foolish enough to attack the Emperor's realm. Many armies fell to the wrath of the Phantoms, but the chapter could not hold their enemies off forever. Fortunately, the Age of Apostasy soon ended with the death of Goge Vandire. The chapter turned their attention to the task of finding a homeworld. They traveled throughout the Imperium searching for a place to settle while continuing their crusade. Eventually they found Februus, a small death world that had been defended by their parent chapter, The Raven Guard, millenia before.

Februus was almost uninhabitable, but tribes of warriors had found a way to survive on the barren world. Many of the warriors were inducted into the ranks of the Phantoms and, once the chapter was near full strength, they set out once again to cleanse the cosmos. Ollanious Briles, the Chapter Master, chose the Orks in the Coelus system as the chapter's next victims. The Coelus campaign lasted nearly two years, and during that time, Briles became more irritable. Many thought that the chapter master was simply weary of the crusade, but, after killing the Ork Warboss on Coelus Prime, Ollanious Briles realized something that would change the chapter forever.

Allies

The Black Phantoms have fought with many other Imperial forces during their crusades and have gained many allies. Inquisitor Lord Syrus "Hex" Montoya of the Ordo Malleus and his descendants and associates have been known to assist the chapter ever since the wars on Senobius II. Grand Master Zophai of the Grey Knights, who also fought on Senobius II, has sent several squads of his Grey Knights to fight with the chapter on their latest campaign.

During the journey back to the Abyss, Briles isolated himself from the rest of the Phantoms for seven days. When he emerged from his seclusion, he warned the apothecaries of a flaw in the chapter's geneseed that could destroy them. The apothecaries were skeptical at first, but after they tested the remainder of the chapter, they discovered that the flaw that Briles had warned them of was only present in the high ranking officers of the chapter, especially the captains. Briles believed that the cure to the chapter's ailment was in the Eye of Terror. He assembled the members of the third company, boarded a strike cruiser, and vanished in the void.

The remainder of the chapter had no idea what the flaw caused until the fall of Chapter Master Damas Odin. It began when Odin led the fourth and eighth companies against a heretical uprising on Gudrun. The uprising was quickly crushed and few casualties were taken by the chapter. On the way back to Februus, Damas began to become short tempered and was easily infuriated, meaning that the chapter's genetic flaw was beginning to affect him. Normally, when a commander felt himself begin to fall to the flaw, he would leave the chapter and enter the Eye of Terror to join Briles in his search for a cure. However, Odin didn't realize what was happening until it was too late. By the time the fleet emerged from the warp above Februus, Odin had become comatose. The apothecaries could not awaken him, so they preserved the body of their former commander within a hidden vault in the Abyss. It was this event that caused the chapter to name the Flaw "Paladin's Slumber".

Homeworld

The Grand Defense of Februus

Only a few decades ago, Februus was attacked once again by the servants of chaos. This was the largest attack on the planet since the war against the Sons of Horus and the Death Guard at the end of the Horus Heresy. The leader of the traitor forces was known as Titus the Slaughterer. The Slaughterer led almost three hundred marines in an assault on Februus, killing countless people as they fought to reach the Abyss. Only the seventh company, famed for their brutal assaults and skill at siege warfare, and the 1st, the Guardians of the Abyss, stood against the horde of traitors and heretics that assaulted their homeworld. The fighting lasted for weeks until Chapter Master Marr arrived with the second and sixth companies and drove the invaders off the planet.

The homeworld of the Black Phantoms is Februus, a small death world in the Segmentum Obscuras near the Eye of Terror. At the end of the Horus Heresy, a combined force of Sons of Horus and Death Guard attacked the world while they were fleeing into the Eye of Terror. After bombarding the planet from orbit, the Sons of Horus and Death Guard landed on Februus and began attacking the people. The armies of Februus were no match for the traitor legions and thousands of Februans died in the first few weeks of the attacks. Eventually, the Raven Guard came to the planet and joined the fight for the planet's survival. The remaining Februans fought with the Raven Guard and succeeded in retaking control of most of the planet. But the slaves of the dark gods had one last trick up their sleeves. The servants of the Plague Lord turned the oceans into corrosive, toxic sludge and the sky was darkened by clouds made of deadly gases and, as they fled from the planet, the Sons of Horus bombarded the planet once again. Although damaged beyond repair, Februus was under the Imperium's control once again and the weary citizens were finally able to rest and rebuild their shattered society.

Before the world was ruined by the traitor marines, Februus was a highly civilized planet. It was almost free of disease and the chaotic warfare that plagued other worlds was non-existent, although there were several armies on the planet. The people of the planet were very wealthy, due to mining operations on the planet's moons. It was the perfect world.

Februus is currently a barren wasteland where only the strongest survive. The water on the surface is poisoned, meaning that Februans have to find cleaner water underground. The few forests that remain are infested with vicious mutated animals or carnivorous plants. A few cities remain, but they are filled with the bones of the dead, and only those who seek answers to the planet's past venture into them. Tall mountains surround the Abyss, the Black Phantoms' fortress, and those who wish to join the chapter must journey through them as their first test. Many die in their attempts to reach the fortress, but those who survive are allowed to begin their real training.

Organization

The Black Phantoms are organized into eleven companies. Due to the chapter's crusading nature, the majority of the companies, the 2nd-10th, are battle companies that are almost completely independent from each other. The marines of the first company are the Guardians of the Abyss. They recruit and train new troops until they are ready to join another company. They also defend the planet from frequent attacks by enemy forces.

Each of the companies is dedicated to one of the nine Primarchs that stood by the Emperor during Horus' betrayal. The first, however, is dedicated to the Emperor Himself. The second company is Sanguinius' Company. This company is one of the more favored companies in the chapter, due to the heroism and courage of the marines that are placed in it. The third company is Lion's Company, which is dedicated to the Primarch of the Dark Angels, Lion El'Jonson. The fourth company is Khan's Company, which worships the Primarch Jaghatai Khan. The fifth is Ultra Company, dedicated to upholding the honor of Roboute Guilliman, the Primarch that held together the Imperium after the Great Betrayal. The sixth Company is Wolf Company. The marines in this company are some of the more ferocious ones in the chapter and worship Leman Russ. The seventh is Dorn's company. As its name implies, Dorn's company worships the great Rogal Dorn, who helped fight the hordes of traitors during the siege of the Emperor's Palace. This company is well known for their defense of Februus when it was attacked by the traitor forces under the command of Titus the Slaughterer. The eighth company is Corax's Company. The masters of the chapter watch this company very closely, searching to find marines that honor the memory of the Chapter's Primarch so they can be put into the 11th. The ninth is Iron Company, dedicated to the worship of Ferrus Manus. The tenth company worships the Primarch Vulkan.

The chapter's 11th company is the Chapter Master's bodyguard. It was created prior to the chapter's recent crusades by Chapter Master Orlando Marr. The chapter's veterans are organized into this company. The 11th are typically used as a rapid reaction force or as scouts in other companies. In addition, they are also used as bodyguards for commanders in other companies. The 11th is commonly known as Dragon Company, most likely due to their heavy use of flame based weaponry. The original captain of the 11th, Alkana, wielded a pair of lightning claws that incorporate flamers. The weapons were known as the Dragon's Claws, and may be the source of the company's nickname.

Beliefs

Space Marines are motivated by many things. The number of different chapters loyal to the Imperium guarantees that no one will ever know all of the reasons why a space marine will fight. Some chapters will declare their beliefs openly, knowing that only a fool would doubt their loyalty to the Emperor. Others cloak themselves in secrecy, revealing their true plans to only their most trusted allies. In the case of the Black Phantoms, it is a combination of both. They fight for the gods and to destroy the enemies of the Emperor.

Odd habits

In addition to their bizarre views of the Primarchs, large amounts of Black Phantoms have begun to adorn their armor with the skulls of enemies they have bested in combat. There have also been rumors that some marines have painted their armor red with the blood of their fallen enemies.

Like the people of Februus, the Black Phantoms are polytheistic. They see each of the Primarchs as gods who will return in time to join the Second Great Crusade. The Crusade will be led by the Emperor Himself, who they believe will be reborn when He is released from His decaying body. The Phantoms look forward to the return of the Primarchs, as they believe that with the Primarchs leading the Space Marines, the Xenos that plague the Emperor's realm will be destroyed and the traitor legions will finally suffer the fate of their fallen leader, Warmaster Horus: annihilation. Recently, however, their beliefs have become much more barbaric. Instead of seeing the Primarchs as the heroes of mankind, they are seen as bloodthirsty war gods who will return to cleanse the galaxy of all inhuman life. The chapter keeps these beliefs hidden, as they believe that many Inquisitors would declare them Excommunicate Traitoris for what could be seen as heresy.

No Retreat, No excuses, No surrender

Unknown to many outside of the chapter, the Black Phantoms most well known battle cry was first said only a few centuries ago by the legendary Rico Vel

Edited January 19, 2009 by Alkana

[Tantum]

nice article !!! really nice !!! just one tiny thing that made my eye pop a little bit....uhm i thought it took years to train a marine...while 5 years is some time....but most of the recruits wouldnt have all the organs....right ? if i remember it correctly it takes 17 years to produce a marine...( i might be terrible wrong about this...)

[Alkana]

It takes about four or five according to the GW article. Which part of the article are you addressing? If I made a mistake I want to fix it.

[Carolus]

This seems to be a very good and thorough IA. The only (relatively) major thing was to do with The Flaw. i'm not entirely sure what exactly it was, but it didn't quite make sense to me. It seemed as if the individual parts didn't quite fit. I think the particular problem was that the flaw actually turns out to be relatively minor in comparison to the way in which it was introduced.

I suppose minor isn't really the right word, as it is still clearly a big thing, but i can't think of a better way to explain it.

I hope this helps, especially if you can interpret my ramblings!

-Carolus

[Alkana]

The Flaw is caused by the extra organs that the Phantoms are implanted with. After long campaigns, the flaw causes the Black Phantom to go insane until he goes into a coma. Sorry if it wasn't clear, I have a habit of only making sense to myself.

 

Do you mean that it seems like a minor issue because I didn't make the article revolve around it?

[Carolus]

No, I didn't notice the "go insane beforehand" bit, which meant when I read it it just seemed as if it was falling into a coma and that was it.

The going Insane makes much more sense.

 

By minor, what I had been trying to say was that it seemed the results of it, with the captains heading of into the warp seemed more important than the actual problem. However it was really just the missing part about the insanity it caused that did this.

 

-Carolus

[Tantum]

nice article !!! really nice !!! just one tiny thing that made my eye pop a little bit....uhm i thought it took years to train a marine...while 5 years is some time....but most of the recruits wouldnt have all the organs....right ? if i remember it correctly it takes 17 years to produce a marine...( i might be terrible wrong about this...)

 

Hi there, im still trying to look it up...cant remember where i read it...anyway 5 years is a bit short...they have to implant the organs, train them to use their organs...train them to use the various guns...i remember that ragnar blackmane couldnt hit barn within 10 paces when he first became a bloodclaw....after that they train them in tactics...i know they got special brain and tutoring machines...but somehow it doesnt add up....and another thing....lots and i mean lots of initiates DIE...accidents...failure of organs....or just stupid mistakes like bragging about cleaning a minedfield with feets....

 

anywayz 5 years is a bit short to produce superhumans...but i will look it up in the texts that i have to confirm my suspicions

 

greetz,

tantum

[Alkana]

Okay, I know what you're talking about. They recruited 200 marines in five years, but that doesn't necessarily mean that the recruits had finished their training. A lot of recruits do die, especially with RG geneseed, but with a planet full of warriors ready to be recruited, I figured that they could bring in a lot of new troops and start training them in that amount of time.

[Dazzo]

The Black Phantoms treatment of Xenos is something that they are very open about. The chapter has an extreme hatred for anything and everything that threatens the survival of the human race. Unlike other chapters, who will fight with Xenos against a common foe, the Black Phantoms refuse to work with anything that isn't human, from the Ogryns commonly seen in the Imperial Guard to the Eldar or Orks.

I dont really see this as anything special, as this would be the norm for most chapters, those that do work with aliens would be the exception to the rule. You would be better of just saying they are extremely xenophobic and refuse to work with abhuman mutants.

 

Also what do they look like?

[Tantum]

sorry havent found it yet...but an idea on their looks...it would be something like the blood angels...for if they worship mankind as the supreme race they will see themselfs as the most absolute thing there is...

 

depends on their native looks...but i think they should look as the "perfect" human...big eyes...noble features...strong jawline...no facial tattoos or anything etc...no service studs either...

 

at least this is how i see it..

 

greetz,

tantum

[Wolfbiter]

Pretty good article. However, a couple of nit-picky details regarding your sidebars:

 

1) Your inquisitor's name (Syrus Hex) is very similar to the name of a Thousand Sons Sorcereror (Mordant Hex) named in the old IA: Thousand Sons that was published in White Dwarf. I don't know if an Inquisitor sharing the name of a Chaos Sorceror would have strong prospects for promotion in the Ordo Malleus. ;)

 

2) I've never heard of "Crimson Knights" mentioned in any canon Grey Knights background. If this is something of your own devising, I'd suggest removing it. Alliances with DIY chapters being mentioned I have no problem with, I can go with them working alongside the Grey Knights no problem, but I don't think you should change fluff for a canon chapter, especially one as well-detailed as the Grey Knights. I would suggest simply establishing an alliance, and leave out the "secret force within a secret chapter" angle.

[Alkana]

I dont really see this as anything special, as this would be the norm for most chapters, those that do work with aliens would be the exception to the rule. You would be better of just saying they are extremely xenophobic and refuse to work with abhuman mutants.

 

Also what do they look like?

 

Alright, I'll change that. When you say "what do they look like?" do you mean their color scheme or their physical appearance without armor?

 

sorry havent found it yet...but an idea on their looks...it would be something like the blood angels...for if they worship mankind as the supreme race they will see themselfs as the most absolute thing there is...

 

depends on their native looks...but i think they should look as the "perfect" human...big eyes...noble features...strong jawline...no facial tattoos or anything etc...no service studs either...

 

I don't think they'd see themselves as perfect, especially since they have a flaw in their geneseed and have had many failures during their years of service. Physical description sounds good though.

 

1) Your inquisitor's name (Syrus Hex) is very similar to the name of a Thousand Sons Sorcereror (Mordant Hex) named in the old IA: Thousand Sons that was published in White Dwarf. I don't know if an Inquisitor sharing the name of a Chaos Sorceror would have strong prospects for promotion in the Ordo Malleus.

 

2) I've never heard of "Crimson Knights" mentioned in any canon Grey Knights background. If this is something of your own devising, I'd suggest removing it. Alliances with DIY chapters being mentioned I have no problem with, I can go with them working alongside the Grey Knights no problem, but I don't think you should change fluff for a canon chapter, especially one as well-detailed as the Grey Knights. I would suggest simply establishing an alliance, and leave out the "secret force within a secret chapter" angle.

 

1) I've never known about a Mordant Hex. My inquisitor's last name is actually Montoya but he changed it to Hex when he joined the daemon hunters. I figured an IA about a space marine chapter shouldn't have the biography of some random inquisitor.

 

2) I'll change it to Grey Knights. There's less confusion that way. I also wasn't aware that I had used the alliance as a "secret force within a secret chapter" angle. I'll try to reword some things so it works out better.

 

+edit+ I get what you were saying about the "secret force within a secret chapter" thing. I changed it and hopefully it's better now.

 

Thanks for the advice everyone. Expect updates as soon as I find time to rewrite things.

Edited October 12, 2008 by Alkana

[Brother Alinski]

Nice Chapter loving the sons of Corax being able to pick up a chain axe and get up there with the blood angels and space wolfs etc. i thing tho why do the 11th us a lot of flamers if there from Corax's company?

[Alkana]

The 11th company is Dragon company. Dragons and fire go together. Plus, I like flamers.